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My grandmother Molly could be a rather stern old lady. She was born when Queen Victoria was still on the throne, on April 16, 1898. She died in 1988, long-lived, like many in my family.
You have the best family stories! Happy Easter
Thanks. Happy Easter to you!
Oh, how I wish I had a Granny to blame my Chocoholism on. I’m a Lindt fan, myself, and get my Gold Bunny every year at this time, but I doubt I have ever turned down any brand, nor have I ever regretted a single bite.
I actually feel sorry for people who don’t love chocolate as much as I do. It’s a terrible tragedy I tell you!
Thank you for carrying that tradition forward. That is very awesome.
Love this so much, She! But here’s the most important test: milk chocolate or dark chocolate???
Y E S
Yes, please! But if there’s a choice, dark, every time.
She, you have the best stories! If you wrote a book of anecdotes I would buy it and read a chapter every morning to get my day started right.
Chocolate marshmallow bunnies – my favorite.
As a child I didn’t care much for chocolate, so my granny taught me to make taffy. We had wonderful taffy pulling sessions. We made mint, cinnamon, and lots of different colors. Loved your story BTW. I have one grandson who also did not care for chocolate as a child. Today we are chocoholics.
Lovely. Thank you, She.
Thank you very much. I’ll think about doing it. Really–I’ve only scratched the surface. I don’t know when I’ll get to Great-Grandpa Reuben Stoddard who managed a butcher’s shop in Birmingham and whose sausages were much sought-after by the gentry.
Apparently, the facility was, as described by my father:
And as recorded, again by Dad:
No one in my family does things by half-measures. I love that, I revel in that, I’m proud of that, and I do my best to hold up my end of the bargain whenever, and however, I can.
I’m just very lucky to come from a long line of such characters. And I’m lucky that we’ve always recorded, in both spoken and written form, the stories of our forebears. I encourage everyone, no matter how unusual or conventional their family, to do the same. One day, your descendants will thank you.
I have a contentious relationship with chocolate. I have never been a huge, huge fan. I loved dark chocolate for a while, but after a pregnancy, I can’t eat it anymore… even in baking.
But my Lindt bunny – I will get that every year.
She, this was a beautiful and nostalgic piece. Colorful and perfect for Sunday afternoon.
Yay Stina! I am so glad I started that tradition with my kids. As adults, they still do it. I know Easter is far more than candy, but I’d feel like something was missing from my Easter if Gold Bunny wasn’t sitting on my table on Easter Morning.
Winsome, wise and wonderful, She! (Would you like Sno-Caps or something else for upcoming festivities?)
Mmmm. That’s a thought. Thanks.
“I love her and she always has chocolate.” (two facts not necessarily dependent on one another.)
My granmom always had sour balls and those pastel mints from a long box.
So true.
I love those pastel mints!
I’m a very lucky Granny–here was my Valentine’s Day card from a couple of years ago–a clever acrostic, and a grammatically correct double negative. (And she doesn’t even mention the chocolate). What more could I ask?
Go, Granny! I am sorry that your little one is so far off, but you have probably cemented the relationship for all time.
I saw my maternal grandmother only in the summer, and then for short periods, but she made a permanent and large impression, for which I will always be grateful. I hope your granddaughter is a writer, too.
My grandmother was born and died the same years as yours. She was from the Azores, though. With her it wasn’t chocolate but sweet bread and other candies. I miss her.
Hold up your end of the bargain, but remember: never, ever cut a cable under tension, no matter how “efficient” you think that’ll be. Just sayin’…
Mrs. QuietPI endorses your axiom.
Dark.
125 miles? Our nearest are almost five times that. But when distance is a barrier, I have one word…
Skype.
I usually buy Gertrude Hawk chocolates for Easter. I love their Smidgens.
Have you ever read Roald Dahl’s autobiography Boy?
He describes how the Cadbury factory in the town where his boarding school inspired Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Awesome. Thanks, Mama.
That sounds like excellent advice, Boss. In some circumstances, I might want to look and see who was hanging from the other end of it before making a final decision, though.
Yeah. I didn’t want to clog up the story with extraneous details, but I spent most of the first ten years of my life in Nigeria, and very, very rarely got to spend time with Granny, Grandpa, or any family in England. The impact that the two of them had on my life is very much in inverse proportion to the actual time I spent with them. (There’s a lesson in there somewhere, I think . . . )
Skype is great! When I was a kid, if we wanted immediacy in communication, we sent a telegram . . ,
Did the chocolates work? I mean, well, you know…
My wife’s grandmother loved chocolate covered cherries. It was always a welcome gift. With my grandmother, I think the cigarettes killed off those urges, She still lived to 89. My memories of her go to playing cards – wist, hearts, cribbage – always for money. She was good.
And she kept her winnings. Her lesson? Get more change from your father.
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This story reminds me of my mom. You see, when you leave this mortal coil, all your secrets come out. We found out that my mom’s sister used to send her boxes of Opera Creams from Wertz Candy in Lebanon, PA. We never saw them, my dad never saw them. They were a secret treat between sisters.
When my dad turned 80, we gave him a surprise party. (It’s then that I found out he had never had a birthday party before.) At each place setting at all the tables was a little box of Wertz Opera Creams, and I told the story of mom’s secret delight. It was like she was there at the party with us.