Afternoon with my 90yr old father-in-law, and something of a history lesson...

D

dmattaponi

Joined
Sep 1, 2012
Messages
306
Recently the family held a "no present" 90th birthday party for my father-in-law during which time I secretly broke the no present rule and slipping him a Case Amber Bone Peanut when no one was looking :). Anyway, today I was able to spend the afternoon with him, just the two of us without the usual distractions, and both of us being "history buffs" the conversation flowed from one history topic to another. He was born in 1924 in a small mining town in SW Pennsylvania. He grew up there, leaving during WWII to serve in the Pacific. When the war ended in 1945 he never went back, instead choosing to resettle elsewhere. At some point in the conversation we were talking about life in this small coal mining community in the 1920's and 30's, and he began sharing some of the things the kids did for fun. It was a pleasant surprise for me when he pulled from his pocket the Case Peanut I had given him, and proceeded to give me a lesson on how to play Mumblety Peg, and another pocket knife game he called Baseball. Made for a very pleasant afternoon, and some good memories.
 
What a great experience to be able to spend time with him like that. Over the years I've befriended many people who were FAR older than I was and found some of them to be among the most interesting people I've ever known.

The world certainly has changed, and not for the better IMHO...
 
Things sure have changed since we were kids and even more with our parents generation.
It's a good time to think back and remember some of the simple things that were part of every day.
It would have been hard to beat Your gift to Your Father-in-law.
That was cool that He had the folder in his pocket, I bet it makes Him feel young.
 
Moments like that are things that you can't really experience through books. That's how I feel every time I get history lessons from my grandfather.
 
You'll never regret giving him that knife, or learning as much about his personal history as you can! Good on you for taking such good care of him.
 
I just travelled to Mass. due to my father-in-laws passing. My mom is 83. When I grew up I *hated* stories about "the old days".

I was begging mom for stories. I wish my grandparents were still around for stories about times before household electricity was common.

Our society is losing as much as it gains from it's rapid advancement.

If you don't know where you've been, how will you choose where to go?

Good on you for allowing him to contribute his experiences to you.
 
I appreciate everyone's comments, and davek14, sorry to read about your father-in-law. Agree there is a lot we can learn from the generations that have come before us.
 
glad he can appreciate a present at his age. How did you go on the mumblypeg? Is there a special trick to it, or did you need a trip to the hospital :)
 
What a great time that must have been. You are lucky to spend time with someone that is willing to talk about that stuff. When I was younger, much like Dave, I didn't care at all for the stories from way back. Now that I am "older", I have come to appreciate them. And I bet he appreciates that peanut!
 
Looking back there were many a time I wish I had ask more questions of my Grandfathers and my Dad about their early years. All lived during the Depression Era and experienced hard times. Dad spent time in the CCC. Wish I had know more about that experience. Too late now, as they belong to the ages. So get these stories now if you can before it is too late.
 
glad he can appreciate a present at his age. How did you go on the mumblypeg? Is there a special trick to it, or did you need a trip to the hospital
Click to expand...

:) No, no trip to the hospital necessary, but I won't fib, he did make me a little nervous, but he handled the knife perfectly fine, and there was no blood. I did notice that Peanut has some strong springs. It takes a little effort to open it, but he seemed to do okay with it.

As per the other comments, yes, I really do enjoy listening to what he has to say. His mind (and body for that matter) are all still there and in good shape. I have an interview that I would like to do with him to record as much information as I can. The problem is getting him alone. When his daughters are around he and I both find it hard to get a word in edgewise.:p I made the mistake of not recording the information from my wife's grandmother who lived to be 105. Talk about a living history. She was another that you had to get away from the crowd, but when you did, she would happily share some really great stories (Civil War veteran relative stories, her first ride in an automobile, husband in WWI, to name a few).
 
Last edited:
Your story brought a smile to my heart. My Mother was born in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania in 1924. I am so happy to hear your treasure your father in law and got to spend some quality time with him. It speaks to your character. I miss you Mom
 
dmattaponi said:
I made the mistake of not recording the information from my wife's grandmother who lived to be 105. Talk about a living history. She was another that you had to get away from the crowd, but when you did, she would happily share some really great stories (Civil War veteran relative stories, her first ride in an automobile, husband in WWI, to name a few).
Click to expand...

I'll bet she had some interesting stories. It's great to see you taking an interest in history and trying to record it. It's a shame more aren't willing to do that.
 
My Dad,has been gone along time...fought in the Pacific during WW2.Only part of that experience he talked to me about the War was Pearl Harbor....he was there when the Japs hit.Two yrs.ago I was given all his letters to Mom from everywhere he fought! Wish he was here now! Another Uncle went thru the Depression.....he wouldn't spend a dime!! Boy was he tight....he would see a penny & quickly pick it up!! If he had a dollar it went in the bank..!He would keep stuff & repair until it was really used up! Every bit of food at a meal was gone......nothing was wasted.I now understand!I have quite a few knives....was given a "old"knife(stockman)outside was really clean....inside "all"the blades were sharpened slivers!Knife was really used up! Everyday when I put "whatever" knife in my pocket....I see this knife on my desk & almost feel guilty at having sooo many good things.
Jim
 
Totally regret not being able to glean info and knowledge from my grandparents. One set were farmers, the other a master machinist and wife.

I'm the youngest of three children born to the youngest of each family, so my grandparents were quite old when I came along. The only one I really was around much was my paternal grandfather, the machinist.

However, he was a cantankerous old man who had zero patience with children or anybody else for that matter.

My folks shared a lot about their "comin' up" years, though.

Years ago, in the 70's and 80's, there were a series of books published by a group of high schoolers in North Carolina, I think, that sought to preserve some of the older folks knowledge. They were called Foxfire books and were published yearly for several years.

Fabulous books and well worth the search to find even today.

Surely, they could be located on Ebay or elsewhere on the internet.
 
Last edited:
dmattaponi said:
Recently the family held a "no present" 90th birthday party for my father-in-law during which time I secretly broke the no present rule and slipping him a Case Amber Bone Peanut when no one was looking :). Anyway, today I was able to spend the afternoon with him, just the two of us without the usual distractions, and both of us being "history buffs" the conversation flowed from one history topic to another. He was born in 1924 in a small mining town in SW Pennsylvania. He grew up there, leaving during WWII to serve in the Pacific. When the war ended in 1945 he never went back, instead choosing to resettle elsewhere. At some point in the conversation we were talking about life in this small coal mining community in the 1920's and 30's, and he began sharing some of the things the kids did for fun. It was a pleasant surprise for me when he pulled from his pocket the Case Peanut I had given him, and proceeded to give me a lesson on how to play Mumblety Peg, and another pocket knife game he called Baseball. Made for a very pleasant afternoon, and some good memories.
Click to expand...

When my dad was a kid—this was in the twenties—if you wanted a chicken dinner you bought a chicken. A live chicken, clucking all the way home.

He and his brothers liked watching a grownup behead the bird. The headless chicken ran around the back yard, even flow around, spouting blood. Too stupid to realize it was dead. They thought that was pretty entertaining.

They didn’t think plucking the feathers afterwards was any fun.
 
Raymond1000 said:
The headless chicken ran around the back yard, even flow around, spouting blood. Too stupid to realize it was dead. They thought that was pretty entertaining.

They didn’t think plucking the feathers afterwards was any fun.
Click to expand...

Been there. Done that. Only I did the chopping. I agree about the feathers. Did that, too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top