it's all about "The Time" spent with Children

 The Luck of the Irish--green beer---  Leprechauns----This is the day everyone wants to be Irish--  kissing the Blarney stone---I am not Irish-- Scottish ---  coming from the clan of  the "Wallaces"---My Grandfather wearing a kilt and dancing around his kitchen--swinging me as we went around and him singing, "A Heel and a Toe and away we go"---- I absolutely adored him-- I think because he spent time with all of us--I was not very old--not even going to school, and I have such vivid memories of him!

I remember the black car he drove--with a "rumble seat" in the back--I remember the swing  beside his outhouse--- and the chickens he kept in his barn--  and him telling my Mom, not to let any of us 5 kids,  , when getting up to use the bathroom in the night,  to not turn off the light--I guess if we ever turned out that light in his upstairs bathroom, the light in the barn would go out too--and then the chickens would not lay their eggs--and -----of course, we always turned out that light-- I can still hear Grampa shouting at my Mom, "Ila, they did it again!"---and again, there were no eggs for breakfast----

We lived in Windsor, and Dad had driven along highway#2, all the way to Port Perry with all of us kids and Mom---no "McDonalds" in those days-Dad had a green cookstove, and there were places to pull off the highway, with a picnic table, and Dad always cooked wieners and Pork and Beans- It was an all day drive.

This was Grampa's house--- right in Port Perry-- If you look closely yu can see Grampa and Gramma , waving good bye to us, as we drove up his driveway, to begin our long journey home. I took this picture years and years ago--with my little 'Black" camera, as I was sitting in the back seat , with Dad driving-

Often, I remember this picture of Gramma and Grampa, when I have to say good bye to some of our children , driving back to Ohio, or Toronto--with their families--always sad to see them go--

To the left of Grampa's house, was a pasture, and he always kept cows in that pasture--- We were intrigued with that--- the cow patties especially-- and Mom always telling us not to walk in that pasture-but--we did! 

Years later Son#2 took himself and I , back to Port Perry to see Grampa's house--  If you look to the left of the  house, the cow pasture has been replaced with more houses---  no gooseberry bushes along the driveway---but--the house is still lived in--

How did I ever get  talking about all of this?--  I suppose because Grampa was  so unique  to me-- I remember him driving us to the bakery in downtown Port Perry--sitting all of us at a table, and telling us, we could have whatever we wanted to eat--anything at all-- ice cream--chocolate cake-- anything our heart's desired-- but---- (There was a "but")- the deal was , that we were not to tell Gramma--- as he knew she would have dinner ready when we got back--  WE NEVER TOLD GRAMMA--and we all could not eat even a bite of dinner---but--WE NEVER TOLD HER WHY------and many a plate was passed under the table , for Grampa to devour-- We thought he was the best!!!

Can you tell that even a wee bit of time spent with young children, is so important in their lives--?-They never ever will forget you!-- To this day--- some 70 yrs later, trips to Grampa and Grammas place. seemed magical---No TV  , but our cousins appeared sometimes with their parents, (our aunts and uncles)-and we all played "Charades" and we were included in the acting out of whatever, in the living room there-- 

Some of us in the above picture, are still alive-- I am in the white shorts sitting in the front- with our son#4 , a wee little guy, beside me-- Himself with our daughter is behind and on the left--but--so many of the Wallace Clan  have passed on--  Good Memories---  Grampa and Gramma  started  these memories--spending time with us--  I guess it's all about --"THE TIME"