My title came from the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes", or so I am told, I have never seen the movie. However, yesterday, I was reading my cousin's,(Claudine Prince Spevak)blog. She wrote about glasses. Doesn't sound that interesting, but trust me, it was very entertaining as Claudine and her friends are trying to beat each other to Ace Hardware to get a certain pair of "cool" $1.00 glasses. To make it even more exciting,she included pictures of her competitors chasing each other down the road. Well to make a long story short, it got me thinking. (Ohhh, a miracle you say. Not so, I do this once a year whether I need to or not). Anyway, I have bargain glasses all over my house, but do you think I can find a pair when I need them--which is any time my eyes are open--giggle. Anyway, I am not as young as I used to be and things are falling apart. My Grandpa Prince was in his 80s and used to quote this poem from memory. I loved to hear him say it, because it fit him to a tea. And now my fans,(both of you) I find myself heading that way.
Grandpa James L. Prince"I'm Fine Thank You
There is nothing the matter with me
I'm as healthy as can be.
I have arthritis in both my knees
And when I talk, I talk with a wheeze,
My pulse is weak and my blood is thin,
But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.
Arch supports I have for my feet,
Or I wouldn't be able to go on the street.
Sleep is denied me night after night,
But every morning I find I'm all right,
My memory is failing, my head's in a spin
But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.
The moral is this - as my tale I unfold,
That for you and me who are growing old,
It's better to say, "I'm fine" with a grin,
Than to let folks know the shape we're in.
How do I know that my youth is all spent?
Well my 'get up and go' has got up and went.
But I don't really mind when I think with a grin,
Of all the grand places 'my get up' has been.
Old age is golden, I've heard it said,
But sometimes I wonder as I get into bed,
With my ears in the drawer, my teeth in the cup,
My eyes on the table until I wake up.
Ere sleep overtakes me, I think to myself
Is there anything else I could lay on the shelf?
When I was young, my slippers were red;
I could kick my heels right over my head.
When I got older, my slippers were blue;
But still I could dance the whole night through.
But now I am old, my slippers are black;
I walk to the store and puff my way back.
I get up each day and dust off my wits,
And pick up the paper and read the 'obits'.
If my name is still missing, I know I'm not dead -
So I have a good breakfast and go back to bed"
With that said, I think I have something to do, but darned if I can remember what it is. Now go take on the day, and remember "Clouds in our lives are often sent to bring showers of blessings."
That is such a neat blog. You have another photo that I don't have...........the one of Grandpa Prince. I remember him quoting that poem (from memory) just about every time we went there. I'm glad to get a copy of it. The verse about the "obits" and also the one about "my get up and go has got up and went", I almost have memorized myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm the same way, Deanna....every time I go to the dollar store, I buy some more glasses. We have them in every bathroom, my sewing room, the kitchen, my office, John's office, the family room, the living room, and I can't ever find a pair either.
As long as I have written the longest comment ever......... thanks for the disks. I spent most of the day (besides church) going through the slides and picking out which ones I want to make up. I was at school in Cedar on the day the New Harmony school burned down and so I never saw it. It was burned to the ground when we got home that day, so I'm glad to have those photos.
These are the only color photos I have of my wedding day. The photos Max Bonzo took are in black and white and I wanted colored ones to show off the pretty blue in my bridesmaids dresses. I loved the wedding photos of Berdean, Rolaine, Dorothy and Hal, Winona and Tom, Joycelyn and Dave and most of all, Lowell and Sharon.
If Grandpa was thinner (or Dad was heavier) he would look just like my dad. Thanks again for such a cool blog. I love your sense of humor.
Thanks for writing a wonderful blog. I too recall Grandpa and his wonderful memory. He would recite many poems to me as a child. Grandpa also had a mind for math. I can recall him calculating math in his head as fast as any calculator. We are all adding what we remember and like a great recipe nothing can be made with out all of us adding ingredients.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog Aunt Deanna....we are a humorous bunch aren't we? I love my family, and that we can laugh with each other. Thanks for the poem, let me get to know grandpa a little more.
ReplyDeleteThat poem was kind of Grandpa's trademark in his later years. It used to astound me that he could memorize it at that age, and now that I am getting closer it is even more astounding.
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