Today I was thinking about curtains. And that made me think about my grandma’s previous house and the big front window with 2 curtains that fascinated me when I was younger. Then I remembered kneeling on the couch and looking out the window, then I pictured the other couches, the piano, the hearth, grandpa’s chair, jumbo…

This was during Ellie’s nap, and as I rocked her, I went from room to room, remembering every piece of furniture, everything on the walls. The terracotta colored sitting lady (who’s ridged hair I liked to brush with my fingertips), the batik of women washing clothes, the tiles by the stove, I tried to remember all of it. It made me happy and sad at the same time.

As I was looking around in my head, I started to see people in the house. Grandma in the breakfast nook, Grandpa nodding off in his chair, aunts and uncles snacking on a veggie platter, Grandma at the piano, Grandpa at his desk, “Hello, the Mallory’s”. And I would say, “Hi Grandpa!” And out of 9 female granddaughters, he always knew it was me. I guess I miss my grandpa.

I love seeing Grandma so comfortable in her new house and I always get a thrill when I see something from the old house and remember my history with it.