The Return to City Life

I really didn't think we lived in a "city". I still think of Greenville as being a town. But the kids and I just returned from a 4 day visit at my grandmother's house in Fountain Inn. Life is a little simpler there and a little slower paced. It was a nice break! Did you know you can still get a really good pizza for less than $10? Yeah, we ordered a large pizza at Tony's and it was only $8.99. And it was really good pizza!

Today, I was looking outside to see if it was raining and caught a glimpse of the horses, just hanging out, right by the fence where we could watch them. And we opened the windows in our bedroom and it was just woods all around. In some ways, Gran's house is like a little B&B, family style.

I so enjoyed the visit! I found out things about my grandmother I didn't know. I saw a picture she had given my grandfather for Christmas right after they were engaged. She was so beautiful in it! She had penned, "Because I love you, Christmas..." and then the year, which I do not remember- sorry!

I also found out when she was a little girl she realized all her brothers got to go outside and play when dinner was over but she had to stay and help clean up the kitchen. She told her mom that she was a boy and her name was "Jack" so she didn't have to do dishes anymore. It's a simple story that really makes me laugh. I can just see her walking into the kitchen with her hands on her hips making that declaration!

It is such a great feeling to hear stories about those who came before you. I love hearing stories about my grandmother's parents and siblings. I feel like I get to be transplanted to another time. At lunch, Gran was telling me they had cornbread and milk for dinner sometimes. I asked if they had anything with it, because cornbread and milk sounds more like a snack to me, but she said they ate huge lunches and would sometimes have leftover vegetables with their cornbread and milk. She was going to eat cornbread and milk tonight when we left - she took it home from the Coach House restaurant in Simpsonville. It IS good cornbread.

And did you know that loaf bread didn't exist back then? They never ate sandwiches or toast!?!? She said they just always ate biscuits - dripping with butter. Oh, I bet they were good biscuits, too. And everything they ate, with the exception of sugar, tea and coffee, was grown at their house - or they hunted it. Life was harder but simpler then. It's fun to think about what it would have been like.

Anyway, I feel like I was treated the last few days. Praise God for my 90 year old grandmother. She is still so healthy and plays with my kids like she's 65. Thank You for that gift, Jesus, You have been so good to us. Amen.