Memories of my Grandpa and Grandma Warnke

My kids are always wanting me to write down memories from my childhood. This morning I got sharing some stories of my grandparents so figured I would try write some down. Here it goes.
 
  I grew up on a red raspberry farm just up the hill from my grandparents home. The farm was part of Grandpa and Grandma's original farm. They had orchards full of fruit and they always had a garden. I spent much of my young years down at their house. My brother Casey and I (and my sisters too)would spend hours playing in their play house or out in their woods. Some of my earliest memories are of being babysat by them while my mom and dad went Christmas shopping. Grandma always did puzzles with us and served us ice cream. Grandpa would sit in his chair reading with just one lamp on. I remember my mom calling and asking me about me wanting a "My Little Pony" for Christmas and if I would be ok with a little one instead of the big one I was dreaming of. The house was dark, cozy and quiet as I talked to my mom on the phone (she called from a pay phone). We siblings spent hours down at their house playing...going out to the mud puddles and filling little dishes with water and bringing grass into the play house to "cook". :) I remember pretending to vacuum with Grandma's old Kirby vacuum head. As far back as I can remember I was a dreamer, dreaming of being a pioneer like Laura Ingalls. Grandpa and Grandma's house was so fun...they had a wooden staircase that led up to 3 bedrooms and a hallway with built-in drawers for putting clothes in. Grandma always kept her old purses in there for us to play with. I would go lay on her beds that were covered in bed spreads made just so neat and I would dream of living there back in the "olden days". In the summer the upstairs was always warm and there would be fans going. It felt so perfect to me! Grandpa and Grandma were always busy, either in the garden or the orchards or out in my dads berry field pruning the berries. Grandma wore dresses everyday but when she worked outside she would put on her dark blue work pants and a straw hat. Grandpa seemed to always wear a cap. They also always went for walks everyday around our berry field. They may have been retired but they never stopped working. They were always so full of love and patience..never getting angry at us even when we were naughty. I remember one time visiting Grandma while she hung clothes on the line and I showed her that I had put clear fingernail polish on and she wasn't very happy. She said she didn't think Jesus liked it very well and I told her Jesus didn't care and that nail polish made your finger nails strong. She didn't think so but just lovingly told me she didn't agree. (I was kinda of a sassy little girl) In my memories Grandpa is always quietly working , reading or listening to Baseball on their radio that sat on their kitchen counter. I remember Grandpa drinking his coffee and his hand shook. He would sit at the counter and drink coffee and read the newspaper. Grandma would be in the kitchen baking or cooking. If I remember right Grandpa never drank milk?? Not 100% sure on that but there is something about that in my memory. Casey and I would go stay the night down there quite often. I remember stacking our red flyer wagon full of sleeping bags and clothes and my housecoat. We would go stay there and sleep on their hide-a-bed couch. We would tell Grandma we couldn't sleep then she would bring us an aspirin crushed on a spoon with sugar and say "there now go to sleep". One time Casey and I woke before the sun was even up and stood at Grandpa and Grandma's bedroom door listening to them snore. We headed outside then and stood in the yard with out bare feet all wet with dew. Grandma came out and asked why we were up so early. Another time Casey and I stayed the night with Grandma because Grandpa was in the hospital. We sat up doing puzzles with her and I remember Grandpa calling to say goodnight. I can still see us sitting at the table doing the puzzle...yellow curtains on the dining room windows and only the light above the table on and Grandma standing next to the doorway that went into the kitchen talking on the phone to Grandpa. When I was almost 7 years old my little brother Jeremy had open heart surgery. During the week that my mom and dad were in the hospital with him we siblings stayed at Grandpa and Grandma's. We caught the bus to school from their house. I wore the same dress everyday..not ever changing it or letting Grandma wash it. My sisters and I slept in the downstairs bedroom. Towards the end of the week I was convinced that Mom and Dad were coming home so I told our bus driver (Mrs. B) to drop us off at our house instead of Grandpa and Grandma's. When we got off the bus we met Grandpa in the yard coming down with more clothes for us kids. Mom and Dad wouldn't be coming home that day after all. I was so sad. Grandpa got me clean dress but I refused to change into it. Grandpa and Grandma were such a huge blessing in my life! They were always there..always so kind and loving. I will never forget them. I am sure I have more memories but for now I need to go clean my house and I am also babysitting today. :) So anyways hope you all enjoyed it and for my kids sake I will try write down more memories. :) Memories of my childhood that they seem to think was so neat ;) Of course it was..life has it's hardships but my childhood is full of great memories! God has been good to me!!

And so it Begins....

Last night we said our goodbye's to Chet. He is leaving today to Texas. Others have already left..Trent and Tessa, Blake and Leann and of course Denny and Shara left back in November. BUT to have the boss leave makes it really hit home. He is bringing all his clothes with him, his car in a trailer packed with stuff, pickup, camper, a freezer full of meat, his tool box, washer and dryer and more. He will only be flying back to help pack up more stuff ....as of now he will be gone a month or so. Carla is still here, her and Allecia and Sharleen will be not moving until Memorial Day weekend(so Allecia can finish up the school year). The plan is to go to the church campout then leave after to TX. I was fairly emotional last night. Leon has worked for Chet for 10 years now...plus this is his Aunt and Uncle. We have spent our Friday evenings there for sauna now for years. Our kids aren't real happy about them moving. Felicity and Liberty will take it probably the hardest. Sharleen and Felicity have been friends since birth, same for Liberty and Allecia . As a mom it is not fun watching your kids lose their friends. Hard to believe Mike and Missy left 2 years ago already...life must go on. Sometimes that's what is hard to accept. Anyways kinda crazy that this is really happening. Tommy and Jana will be moving down in probably the next month or so and Garret and Krista for sure by June. Also Darren and Gwen are more then likely moving down there also. Oh and Randy and Heather are possibly too. Randy is flying down on March 12th to work and will be there a month or more then Heather will fly there and check it out and if they both like it they will be moving there too.  Leon is in full swing of running Hi-Mark now. If you think of it say a prayer for him please. Not only is it kinda stressful running a business but he is losing a good friend/Uncle too. Maybe someday we will actually go visit TX ??? We never make it to NH so it's pretty doubtful we will make it to TX though.
  Well guess I will go start our day...its one of those days where nothing feels right though......If I can ever find pictures on my computer maybe I will do a picture post sometime soon. :)
 God's Peace~ Elisa