“Grammy” Squares

Personal 2 Minutes

My Grandma was a tiny woman (barely 4’ 8” tall), born of Austrian immigrants.  Her name was Anna, but all her neighbors affectionally called her Aunt Anna.  She taught me to make potato candy and she also taught me to crochet. 

I could sit and watch her crochet for hours.  Her hands would bob and weave, seeming to dance with the needle and yarn. And she never focused on her pattern or her hands—she just focused on me and the others in the room and chatted.  And that room—her sitting room—was full of items she made: afghans, pillows, and doilies.  I adored the doilies—so dainty and delicate!  (Sadly, I could never master the skill to make doilies—I crochet too loose to work with cotton thread.) But she had an afghan made of Granny Squares—I always called them Grammy Squares because they reminded me of her—that I adored!

I remember saving my allowance to buy yarn to make a blanket for my bed.  I was so proud to purchase the pink and white skeins!  I had decided to make granny squares and I began in earnest.  I made square after square and saved them in a bag under my bed.  Then the music bug bit me, and I wanted to learn to play the piano.  My parents surprised me with an old upright piano for my birthday!  But the more I practiced and learned the piano, the less time I had to crochet squares.  Every time Grandma visited, she asked to see my squares and she was increasingly disappointed that I wasn’t progressing.

 I made an extra effort to make more squares, and during one visit, I announced that I was close to being able to join the squares together!  All I needed to do was purchase the joining yarn.  She asked if I was going to use white or pink and I said neither…black! She looked appalled and said no!  It would look awful she insisted.  I insisted it would be beautiful (I seriously thought it would—what did I know?) Both she and mother went on and on about the hideousness of my idea and I got disgusted.  I grabbed my squares and ran to my room and threw them under the bed.

On my very next birthday, Grandma gave me a large wrapped bundle.  When I opened it, I was puzzled—it was a pink and white crocheted blanket.  “TA-DA!” she said. 

“I don’t understand,” I told her.  “I’m making a pink and white blanket Grandma.”  (This one was different though—not granny squares, but large solid-colored blocks in pink and white.)

“Not anymore,” she explained.  “Your mom gave me your squares.  I took them all apart and made you this!”

I was devastated!  All my hard work—POOF—gone!  I started to cry and ran from the room.  I never even came out for cake.  Years later she apologized and we made up.  She encouraged me to keep crocheting and I have.  Every winter I crochet at least a lap blanket and have donated quite a few to the homeless shelters around here.  But I have never made another granny squares blanket.

Published by pat frederick

Published

120 thoughts on ““Grammy” Squares”

    1. I remember you telling that story in the past – so very disappointing for all your efforts not to be appreciated. Speaking of Grandmas…..Piper e-mailed me again yesterday, saying she was bored in class and that she hadn’t slept well the night before. I replied why didn’t you sleep well and will you get in trouble for e-mailing during class? Didn’t hear anything back….I know, I know. I probably shouldn’t have said that but…..I cannot condone and support that during class-time. I will not just roll over and accept whatever poor behavior she chooses to exhibit just because I want her in my life.

      Liked by 1 person

        1. I think this world just isn’t for me any more, Pat. Almost everyone these days believes if you can get by with it, it’s ok. All this brouhaha over classified docs – pffttt…..pure silliness when 90% of what’s classified shouldn’t be!

          Liked by 1 person

          1. I do agree things are way over classified–to protect, not us, but the gov’t. but as long as the rules remain in place, they have to be followed by both sides.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. I just watched a clip of Tom Fitton about the docs found in FJB’s garage – he is equating FJB as VP, with Trump as President – the 2 are NOT the same, Fitton! However, one point he is correct about – as President now, FJB can declassify every one of those docs.

              Liked by 1 person

  9. Liked by 1 person

  11. Feisty Hayseed
    Feisty Hayseed
    January 21, 2023 1:22 am

    Tucker on the War on Menthol Cigarettes and Nicotine in general
    

    Big Agree

    Tucker Carlson: “They’re promoting weed to your children but they’re not letting you use tobacco or even non tobacco nicotine delivery devices which don’t cause cancer. Why do they hate nicotine? Because nicotine frees your mind & THC makes you compliant & passive.” pic.twitter.com/my9eMabueB

    — The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) January 21, 2023

    Like

  12. Feisty Hayseed
    January 21, 2023 1:38 am

    What’s in here, Joe? Beat-up box of ‘Important Doc’s’ was out in open at Joe Biden’s house, laptop reveals

    This can’t really be where Joe Biden kept classified documents he took from the White House — or can it?

    A box labeled “Important Doc’s + Photos” was left unsealed on a table ahead of a child’s birthday party in the Delaware home where the 80-year-old president has been discovered to have stashed sensitive government records, a photo from his son’s laptop, discovered by The Post Friday reveals.

    Another image on the infamous laptop reveals that Hunter Biden apparently made more than 160 trips to the sprawling, lakeside house in just 52 days during the same time he was involved in controversial business dealings with a Chinese energy conglomerate — and while the home contained the discovered classified documents.

    https://nypost.com/2023/01/20/beat-up-box-of-important-docs-was-out-in-open-at-joe-bidens-house-laptop-reveals/

    Like

  13. nwtex
    nwtex
    January 21, 2023 2:54 am

    These ppl would lie even if the truth fit better.

    Joy Behar claims the New Mexico District Attorney who indicted Alec Baldwin on involuntary manslaughter charges is “a big Republican.”

    This is false. DA Mary Carmack-Altwies won the Democrat primary by 30% in one of the most liberal areas of the country.pic.twitter.com/HRsjcydRD9

    — Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 20, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Liked by 1 person

  20. “President Donald Trump & the WEF Jabs”
    Tom Renz
    2 hr ago

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Approximately 3 years ago President Donald Trump, under the guidance of a number of liars and snakes, was misled into implementing Operation Warp-speed. He was told that we needed to pull out all the stops to develop a solution for this new and deadly pandemic that would destroy the world otherwise and so he did exactly what you would expect a leader like Trump to do – he empowered people to find a solution. The problem was that everyone around him was lying, COVID was never what they said it was, and the experimental gene-therapies that were called COVID vaccines were already planned for. Now, 3 years later, these poisonous deathjabs have: resulted in more death and chaos than could possibly be imagined, facilitated the died suddenly phenomenon, and are providing for a permanent global public health emergency (that is not really an emergency at all but rather an expected result).

    Before I go further with this article I feel it necessary to provide some context. I was and continue to be a supporter of many or most of Donald Trump’s policies. To my mind, given the levels of corruption he faced, I think he may have been one of the most important presidents in history. That said, given Trump’s candidacy for president, I do not want to hurt him politically in any way (not that I believe I have the capacity to do so) but I also cannot sacrifice my integrity by doing what the snakes and cowards around him are doing and simply blowing sunshine up his rear for a terrible position and decision. While I still support the Donald, my work is based on honesty, integrity, and being willing to say what most won’t so I’m going to do that here.

    I will be sharing this with people that will help ensure the President sees it. My prayer is that everyone reading this shares it, posts it on social media, and tags the real president so he sees it.
    ——————–
    Mr. President,

    I could not be more proud than I am to have supported you in 2016, through the lies and attacks that occurred during your presidency, and during the stolen 2020 election cycle. To my mind, you are the true President and much or most of what has occurred since the Whitehouse was stolen from you is a clear demonstration of why your enemies would work so hard to ensure you could no longer lead our nation. The CCP, the WEF, and others have corrupted the Democratic Party, control many of the RINOs that worked to undermine you, and are pushing hard to destroy America as it was founded with the weak and corrupt piece of human excrement they installed in your place. That said, those same people seem to be pushing you in to an untenable position and I do not see any way forward but for you to do what you have always done, come out swinging.

    Your recent comments still supporting the “vaccines” are more than a little troubling for your base and many Americans that have woken up across the political spectrum. In light of Damar Hamlin, Died Suddenly, admissions by Pfizer that they never even did a study to confirm the jabs prevent transmission of COVID and that they do not know how they work to improve immune response, various admissions by the CDC, and the obvious problems occurring as a result of these “vaccines”, for you to still be advocating for them is beyond concerning.

    The evidence of issues is overwhelming at this point and I simply do not see how your continued advocacy for a failed project is helpful. Given your platform, any political consultant with half a brain would have told you that speaking out against these jabs would facilitate you being a hero to millions of Americans and people around the world but that same person would also have told you that you would face the wrath of the WEF, CCP, and big pharma. You are and have always been a warrior so I find myself confused by your timidity in this matter.

    It seems that there really are only a few explanations for your approach but ultimately, at the risk of offending a man that I have admired but who likely does not know I exist, I’m going to be blunt. ANY advisor around that is still advocating for you to avoid acknowledging the disaster that these “vaccines” are is either stupid beyond words or corrupt and, in either event, should be fired immediately. You do not need yes-men around you in this war, you need warriors.

    I have publicly offered to do this in the past but understand if the message never reached you so I will do it again. If you would allow us an opportunity, I will fund bringing the top doctors and medical researchers in the world to brief you on the truth about these “vaccines” at your convenience and in a place of your choosing. I will share with you the evidence we have that demonstrates how you have been lied to and manipulated. And, most importantly, I will give you the real truth so that you can do what no other person on this planet could do – save hundreds of millions of lives by using your platform to promote truth.

    A president has to deal with far more than one issue and so I still support you. It is my intent to use the very limited position I have to open the door for you to do the right thing and, in the process, demonstrate that you really are willing to do what is right over what is easy – again, as you have so many times.

    Ultimately Mr. President I ask you this, why not? I am going to share this with people that I absolutely know will put it in front of you. You will be aware of this offer. All we are asking is that you hear us out. There is no threat, I will likely continue to support you either way (I am aware that my support is not that big of a deal to you). That said, I reiterate, why would you refuse an offer to educate yourself about this? If we are right and you do the right thing you save hundreds of millions of lives. If we are wrong you wasted a few hours but demonstrated your willingness to hear out the best and brightest medical minds before continuing to promote a controversial (at best) product.

    There is zero downside to this for you and the only follow-up I will ask would be why you would refuse to listen.

    Sincerely,

    Thomas Renz
    Dad, Husband, MAGA Supporter, Attorney, Patriot

    Liked by 1 person

    1. you brought an article yesterday–I read it this morning–which i didn’t fully understand. about compartment-ing things and Trump turning it back on the vax companies…
      maybe i didn’t have enough coffee at the time…lol

      Liked by 1 person

        1. good…
          I don’t play chess, so these moves on another plain type thing baffle me.
          the funniest thing i ever saw was my hubby and my SIL playing chess and drinking.

          Liked by 1 person

  21. H/T Kea
    A nurse speaks out: She started off emailing about the deliberate undercounting of vaccinated Covid patients, but she wound up saying much more

    Alex Berenson
    Jan 19
    “This email came in a few days ago, after the Stack about the way hospitals misclassify vaccinated patients with Covid as unvaccinated to make the vaccines look better. It is raw and real, a cry from a nurse who is incredibly frustrated by what she’s seen since 2020.

    I asked her if I could run it, and she graciously agreed. (She followed up with another, even more personal email about side effects some mRNA-jabbed colleagues are now suffering, but that contains medical information too private to share.)

    I have confirmed her identity, but she has asked not to be further identified (she works in a deep blue state, and she fears for her job if she is found out). I have edited only for a couple of tiny copy editing fixes. These are HER words, HER pain.”

    https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/a-nurse-speaks-out

    Liked by 1 person


  24. “I’ll be damned…”
    Posted on January 20, 2023 by CederQ
    Jan 16, 2023 · BabylonBee.com

    “Investigators found classified documents in President Biden’s garage. No one really knows why it was there, including Biden. But the real story is all the other stuff they found. His garage was a veritable treasure trove of scandal! Here is the definitive list of items found in Biden’s garage:

    1. Obama’s birth certificate
    2. Private hair collection
    3. 180,000 Trump ballots
    4. One of Hunter’s hookers
    5. Hunter
    6. Friendship bracelet from President Xi
    7. My Patriot Supply buckets (go to preparewithbee.com for an exclusive deal)
    8. The real Joe Biden tied up and gagged shouting, “Help! that guy’s an imposter!”
    9. Unused StairMaster
    10. All the CIA’s JFK documents
    11. Jimmy Hoffa
    12. Treasure map leading to the lost city of Atlantis
    13. A bunch of model train stuff
    14. A pay stub from Burisma
    15. The friendship bracelet he made for Obama but was too embarrassed to give him
    16. Industrial-size pallet of Metamucil
    17. A lock of Galadriel’s hair
    18. White hood
    19. Cuties on Blu-Ray
    20. A nuke – literally an entire nuke
    21. Model of the Capitol building made of LEGO
    22. Joe Biden’s brain in a jar
    23. Early classified copy of Hogwart’s Legacy
    24. A surprisingly solid collection of tabletop board games
    25. Pontiac Aztek he’s been restoring since 2014
    26. All of the eggs
    27. First 14 seasons of The Apprentice on DVD
    28. 12 vials of COVID-20 from Wuhan
    29. 500 boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Pops
    30. A pallet of 10% for the big guy

    Wow! So exciting! Who knows what they’ll find next?”

    Liked by 1 person

  27. [NF: Looks like the auto-correct is a universal issue! LOL]

    “Well Being: Anti-Obesity Strategies and Memory — If this essay doesn’t motivate you to lose weight, I don’t know what will.”

    Robert W Malone MD, MS
    7 min ago

    EXCERPT: “My health has really taken a beating in the last two years. As many know, I suffered adverse events after my two jabs in April 2021. Since then, it has been one thing after another – and of course, the intense stress has literally been killing me. I recently switched doctors, and my friend and colleague Dr. Brooke Miller is now also my physician. Having someone I know and trust as a physician is such a treat. Long story short, Dr. Miller convinced me that I needed to make radical changes in my diet.

    So, for the past three weeks, I have been following a low carbohydrate, modified ketogenic diet with some intermittent fasting.

    For me, this has not been an easy change. Giving up grains and carbs is not easy! But I went cold-turkey and wham! The effects were immediate. I dropped weight and my energy levels increased dramatically. My blood pressure is getting in better control, and I am looking forward to seeing the effects on lipid profiles and pre-diabetic markers in my next blood draw.

    So, today I am just going to highly a couple of important new papers that confirm so of the positive effects of this diet.”

    https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/well-being-anti-obesity-strategies

    Liked by 1 person

  28. sliding down…
    we’re back.
    how disappointing! we stopped for lunch at the little diner a couple of towns over. During the maskdemic, the owner never allowed masks in her diner–there was a sign on the door–peaceful protest in progress inside. she was taken to court over it and she won!
    the diner was filled with all kinds of pro america signs and memorabilia.
    her niece bought it from her. the inside has been scrubbed clean of any of that pro america stuff. the walls are plain white. all the signs are gone. no memorabilia.
    sad

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Aw, man! That sucks! All those memories!!! When I first came back to NE for a 30-day leave in the Army, I was shocked and so very disappointed to find some old standbys simply gone, like the Granada Theater – just in a couple of years! Nothing but a parking lot! And the Double K restaurant was gone, too. I kind of didn’t want to come back much after that.

      Liked by 1 person

  30. Liked by 1 person

  32. NIH Emails Show Fauci Facilitated Lab-Origin Coverup!

    Clandestine
    22 min ago

    EXCERPT: “New un-redacted NIH emails1 released between Dr. Anthony Fauci of the US NIH and British Scientist and now Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization, Dr. Jeremy Farrar.2

    In what reads like a mafia-esque power struggle, the new emails reveal Fauci and Farrar intimidated/influenced the world’s top biologists and virologists into not only abandoning their concerns of a possible lab origin, but were tasked with “disproving the lab-leak theory” as well.”

    https://bioclandestine.substack.com/p/nih-emails-show-fauci-facilitated

    Liked by 1 person

  33. Liked by 1 person

    1. Liked by 1 person

    1. None – I just now watched 2 black cats walk across the street from my neighbors. But I closed the doggie door so they can’t get on the patio any more – I don’t see them much at all.

      Like


  40. “Bird-loving photographer Karthikeyan Ponnambalamoorthy captured these grey-headed swamphen engaged in combat. When these species breed, they try to scare off any other bird that intrudes into their territory. If that doesn’t work, they engage in feet-first combat.”

    “Photographer Alankritha Kalingarayar snapped this photo of a beautiful red panda curled up on a tree branch. Though this specific panda is safe and happily resting, red pandas are endangered and at risk due to habitat loss.”

    “This tiger stands out among a field of purple water hyacinth flowers in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in India. It reminds me of the iconic flower meadow from the film Howl’s Moving Castle.”

    “The bagworm moth caterpillar tends to build a protective home with natural items like twigs and leaves. But because the world is now littered with plastic pollution, this critter had to make do and create a micro-plastic home.”

    “A red fox explores the suburbs of London, standing out in the snowy landscape. Cities may be full of people, but wildlife still roam parks, backyards, and rooftops in all sorts of urban environments.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. gorgeous photos…is there even a moth/caterpillar IN that photo?
      i had no idea those were “feet” up by the bird’s neck! i thought at first that was straw or something!

      Liked by 1 person

        1. we’re good, thanks!
          cleaning our basement is on the spring to-do list. I have a box of AAA tour books from 15 years ago down there…and hubby has bins of leftover metal screws and such from when our metal roof was put on (also 15 years ago)…see a pattern???
          LOL

          Liked by 1 person

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