The Miss Elaine-ous Life

random acts of life, family and photos

Memories of My Granny

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Last week I posted a picture and a few words about my Granny and I promised more. Here’s the more…

My paternal Grandmother, Annie Zahn Hosek, was born of Czechoslovakian immigrants and raised on a farm in South Texas. I am gonna guess from the day that she started talking she rarely stopped, except to pray. And even then, well…she was still talking to somebody.

Here are my memories of her as they flash across my mind and my heart.

She liked to go to church WAY before it started. She lived in a tiny town filled with folks of Czech and Polish decent and steeped in Catholicism. Even MY mother didn’t really like going THAT early (probably because she had young kids and knew it was just more time with us, confined to a pew). But we still went, praying all the while.

She was a wonderful cook and kolache (Czech pastry filled with fruit or other yumminess) baker. She made the best fried chicken and mashed potatoes on the planet and her “dressing” (another word for stuffing) at the holidays was THE BEST. Although as a little girl, I pretty much lived for the white bread and molasses that she would serve me for breakfast while we stayed at her house.

We slept over at her little 2 bedroom house many a time. I always “got” to sleep on the pull out sofa that had a big dip in the end and would often just cuddle up into the concave-ness there and be content. Her house had no A/C for most of my childhood and on Summer nights with all the windows open, it was still quite warm. I remember waking up a few times sweating in my thin night gown and listening to the snoring of both my father in one room and her in the other, praying for even the slightest breeze.

On that same note, she used to ask me to sleep with her ALL the time, I suppose because my grandfather had passed away when I was only 3 years old and I think part of it was that she was lonesome at night, in bed alone. I ALWAYS refused. When I look back, I don’t know why. I just never wanted to. My cousins were more than willing and considered it a treat. Maybe it was the snoring… ; )

She came to our house to visit many times too. My dad would go pick her up and bring her back, usually for a week or so. She LOVED Wheel of Fortune and would yell at the contestants with the fire of a true competitor (she was pretty quick with the right answer). She had a favorite chair at our house that was her Wheel of Forture-watching chair. I still think of her when I see it at my parents’ house… On one of her visits she watched the second Indiana Jones movie with us. She didn’t see very many movies in her lifetime and I will never forget her PURE enjoyment and the sound of her laughter at the crazy antics of such a film. It really was a sight to see.

When I was eight years old she went on a road trip vacation to Colorado with us and recorded the name and population of EVERY SINGLE town we went through in a notebook. She also prayed the rosary a lot as my father drove us up and down mountains in our camper truck. Pretty sure she saved out lives that trip.

I believe it was about the time I entered high school that I found myself becoming more and more attached to her. She went from being my Dad’s mother to MY Granny. Perhaps it was because she was really the only grandparent I’d bonded with or because I knew she was getting older. Or maybe a little bit of both. Thankfully she lived another 14 years and watched me walk to receive my high school diploma and pledge my life and love to my husband.

From the time I could remember, until just a few short months before she died, Granny lived in her own house (across the street from my Aunt and Uncle). About a month before she passed away Tim and I were able to see her and I told her I was pregnant. She was not herself anymore as she blankly looked into my eyes. I pressed my hand into hers for the last time and told her how much I loved her and that she could be my baby’s angel. She smiled a little and I pray to God that she knew what I said and how much she meant in my life and still does to this day.

I sang at her funeral with Tim beside me and The B Man as a tiny baby inside me. I miss her now as I type this with tears running down my face. I just hope she knows how much I love her… always…

(Together at my parents’ house in I’m guessing… 1996)

elaine

Comments

  1. Wow, what a sweet post! It’s so nice to read about your memories of a wonderful Granny. I’m sure this could be beautiful journalling on a scrapbooking layout with that special photo.

  2. Hi Elaine

    What a beautiful tribute to your much loved Granny. Some of the things you said reminded me of my Nonna. My Nonna, like your Granny used to pray the Rosary often, and I remember how she used to kiss her rosary beads as well.

    You have recorded such special memories. It is wonderful that you can so vividly remember times you shared together from your childhood. Obviously, cherished times.

    I would like to think that your Granny watches over you everyday and knows exactly how much you love and miss her.

    Lots of love and hugs
    Elise.

  3. That is such a sweet post and tribute to Granny. It’s wonderful to have memories like that, of your grandmother. I have many fond memories with my grandmothers, as well and I hope my kids will have some with theirs, too.

  5. How very sweet. I love old ladies that go to church WAY before it starts. And who bake kolache. Yum. And fried chicken, yummy!

    Great post. Beautiful tribute. And wonderful photo.

  6. I love this story!!! I am also close to my grandmother!! She is still here with me and I am so grateful for that! I am hoping she will be here to see great grand babies!! We lost my grandpa two summers ago and it has been so hard, but it just makes me value her time her so much more! Thank you for sharing yours!

  8. Oh, that was beautiful. You have such great, detailed memories from such young ages! I’m not sure I could get such a coherent post out of my random flashes of childhood grandma memories.

  9. Thanks for the tears Elaine and reminding me how much I miss Grandma.

    I wish could could have been around a little longer to meet Ben, Grace, Gavin, and Daniel.

    -Larry

  10. Thanks for the tears Elaine and reminding me how much I miss Grandma.

    I wish could could have been around a little longer to meet Ben, Grace, Gavin, and Daniel.

    -Larry

  13. Made me tear up. Love to think about my Nanny watching Wheel of Fotune too… only I slept with her during my many sleep-overs at her house and she kept the TV on in her room all night long! Boy, did my Nanny love Johnny Carson. 😉

  19. That is beautiful Elaine!

    And I bet she is more than just B Man’s angel. I am betting she is an angel to one very special grand daughter! 🙂

  21. Aw, honey, I loved this post so much. I really felt that she touched my life somehow through reading it.

    Your memories are so vivid. Loved reading more about them.

    Thank you for allowing us to get to know her more.

  22. She sounds exactly like the kind of Granny I would have loved to have. I wasn’t close with my Grandma at all and I always wished I had a granny like yours.

    Beautiful tribute to her!

  23. What a beautiful post. I, too, have tears in my eyes. I know you treasure those memories! My grandparents didn’t know any of my children and what a loss for them (both the grands and the babies). My boys would have been the apple of my “Nonnie’s” eyes, and the girls my “Opper’s”.

    Just beautiful.

  24. Those are some really wonderful memories. I am sure that writing them down only solidifies them more in your mind. Relationships with grandparents are beautifully unique to any other. What a treasure!

  25. What beautiful, heartfelt memories! I love all my grandparents but have never been particularly close to any of them…your relationship sounds wonderful.