Thursday, June 5, 2014

I'm My Own Grandpa


In 1947, a hillbilly duo named Lonzo & Oscar recorded a whimsical song entitled, "I'm My Own Grandpa." The convoluted story, which was later recorded by Ray Stevens and Willie Nelson, began when a man of 23 married a widow with a grown daughter. The daughter married the man's father. They had a child, who would be both the man's grandson and brother at the same time. You have to drop the “step” before most of the relationships, but the song does demonstrate how it is humanly possible to become one's own grandfather.
Paw-Paw (B.E. Edwards) 1984
I didn't have to go through all of that to realize that I'm becoming my grandfather. All I had to do was open a drawer in my kitchen and discover a trove of twisty ties.
Paw-Paw was my mother's daddy, and he lived to be 90. When he died in 1987, mom and I had to go through his possessions and clean out his house. It was in a kitchen drawer that I discovered his collection of twisty ties. Most folks are familiar with these little plastic, bendable "strings" that often come on bread wrappers. You can also buy them in rolls, although the only places I've ever found them are at garage sales and flea markets. They come in handy to close potato chip bags and bind lengthy cords on electric appliances, such as hand mixers, too. I rarely throw one away, but recycle it for another use. 
My grandfather had a drawer full of those little plastic ties. It looked like there were hundreds of them. He must have saved every one he had ever found. Why, I don't know. Perhaps he thought there was going to be another world war and twisty ties would be rationed along with flour and sugar.
Recently, I lifted the plastic cutlery organizer out of a kitchen drawer to discover my own collection of twisty ties. Although it wasn't nearly as extensive in size or color as his, it  made me think of Paw-Paw, whom I adored, and it gave me a laugh. 
Some women lament that they are becoming their mothers. Leave it to me to turn into my grandfather.

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