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Spending Time With Granddaddy
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I was the first-born grandchild to Marena and Dewey Powers (Mimi and Da to us grandkids). Although I spent most of my summer-time visits indoors with Mimi, Da tried on occasion to teach me the finer points of outdoor country living.
Lyches River always offered prime fishing for a variety of fresh-water fish. One morning Da decided to forego plowing and took me fishing. He baited both our hooks, then we dropped our cane pole lines over the side of a little bridge and waited. "Watch the cork, now, watch the cork. The fish'll take the bait and the cork'll disappear and then we got him, but you got to watch that cork." I watched the cork for a few minutes, then watched a butterfly, then watched a few birds, then watched the assorted branches and turtles floating by in the black river water.
"Doll baby, your cork's bobbing, you got one, pull him in!" Da helped me land whatever kind of fish he was and there he lay, flopping about on the bridge and gasping for breath. His glassy eyes seemed to look right into my soul as he gave up the ghost, and I cried.
"What you bawling for? That's your dinner, you caught your dinner, a pretty good one, too." Da took my catch off the hook while I grieved over the poor little fish that I had killed. He fished a little while longer while I sniffled. As we packed up our poles he kept shaking his head and muttering to himself, wondering what on earth was wrong with this girl, where'd I think seafood dinners came from. That was our first and last fishing trip together.
Da didn't give up on me, though. Later on he decided I needed to learn to ride a pony or a horse. Since he didn't have either one, the plow mule seemed a good substitute. He was very gentle and good natured, but very tall! Da brought him around from the stable, let me pat his nose, look into his eyes and feel his hide. Then Da lifted me up to the mule's broad back, showed me how to hold on tight to the bridle and slowly began to walk the mule forward. After the first few steps I began to cry. I was so far up, so far from the safety of the good earth, let me down, please let me down! I begged. And so he did. Shaking his head as he walked the mule back to the stable, I could almost hear Da muttering his earlier sentiments, what on earth is wrong with this girl. That was my first and last mule ride.
In between attempts to countrify me, Da was spoiling me in other ways. Dimes and quarters often appeared in the strangest places, like mantelpieces and kitchen cabinets. Every time I'd spot one I'd exclaim over my find. "Guess the money fairy meant for you to have it, since you found it," he would say with a twinkle in his eye. Then I spied him pulling change out of his pocket one day, fingering through the silver before carefully placing several dimes among the dinner plates. I never let on that I knew who the "money fairy" was, I just kept enjoying my good fortune.
I was about fourteen when Da decided to teach me the tried and true traditions of bird hunting. His bird dogs were raring to go the day after Thanksgiving. We piled into his pick-up truck, dogs yipping behind our heads as they trotted from one side of the truck bed to the other. On reaching our destination we met several other men, some with grandsons but no other girls. Da had demonstrated safe shotgun handling, pointed out tips to targeting a likely bird, and Mimi had loaned me her very own lightweight 410 shotgun.
My aim was perfect. I hit the first bird I aimed at and the dog brought it proudly to my feet. I took one look at it and cried. The poor little bird, I had killed it! The men and boys looked at me like I was a real sissy and I guess I was. Granddaddy brought his and my bounty home that evening, cleaned and cooked them for supper. I probably ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, all I could see was the little feathery creature lying dead at my feet and the puzzled look on the face of the bird dog. I'm sure he was wondering along with Da, what in the world is wrong with this girl. You guessed it — that was our first and last hunting trip, too.
Some years later after I was married, he'd drop in occasionally to see how I was doing. Each time after he left I'd find a five dollar bill in the sugar bowl, a ten under a coffee cup or a twenty in the silverware drawer. I knew it was my granddaddy's way of saying that he loved me just as I was, city girl and all.