My grandfather was Challie Chap Long.  He was born in 1898 on December 9.  He grew to be a tall man and was blonde and quite handsome.  I didn’t know my grandfather well, but I have vivid memories of him.  He was a quiet man and must have been a strict disciplinarian because my mother told me he once whipped her with a hand saw.

When my grandparents moved to Ohio from Kentucky, grandpa took a job as a gardener for a man who owned a very large automobile sales dealership.  The man had a large estate near Lebanon, Ohio and he wanted it planted with a forest of trees.  My grandfather worked for several years planting trees on his property and now there is a huge forest and you cannot see the house from the road.

My grandfather was the first person I had ever heard of having Alzheimer’s Disease.  It all started with him wandering away from home.  He had difficulty remembering who he was and where he lived.  He and grandma finally moved into my Aunt Reva’s home and lived there for a short period of time.  He was finally moved to a facility where he spent the rest of his life.

My aunts would take turns going to take care of him.  They bathed him and changed him and sat with him.  Once they were unable to be with him and asked me if I would stay with him.  I was sort of afraid but determined that I would go watch my grandfather.  I took along a portable radio and we listened to the Cincinnati Reds game on the radio.  I knew he was probably unable to comprehend the game, but I remembered that he always listened to every game.  I talked to him about the great plays just as if he and I were communicating.  It was a wonderful memory of my grandpa.

Grandma Mintie Alice Bayes Long was born on October 18, 1898.  She was a plain looking woman, but I thought her to be lovely.  She smelled of cloves because she always carried Clove chewing gum in her purse.

Grandma was the one woman who talked to me about my periods.  I believe my cousin, Faye, and I were visiting her.  My cousin and I both had horrible cramps when we got our period.  Grandma said when she was a girl they would refer to their time of the month as a visit from Granny Harper.  I thought that so funny.

Grandma made the absolute best green beans in the world.  I always looked forward to eating at her house.  The green bean’s pod would turn maroon when they were cooked, and it made a broth that was more like gravy.  I have searched everywhere for these beans and am trying a new kind this year from a rare seed catalog.

I didn’t look forward to treats at Grandma’s house because her favorite cookie was wafer cookies in chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.  I still hate those cookies.

I was told that my Grandmother was an herbalist when she lived in Kentucky.  It was said that people came to her for her home remedies.  This is my worst regret that I didn’t know this, and I could have learned a great deal of knowledge from her.

My grandmother was a Libra, same as my mother, me and my daughter, Jessica.  Libras are prone to poor circulation and my grandmother succumbed to that trait.  She lived with my Aunt who took excellent care of her.  She would massage her hands with lotion and my grandma had the smoothest hands ever.

She was hospitalized in her final days and had to have one of her feet amputated.  She didn’t live much longer after that.

My grandparents are buried in Kentucky together.  I often wonder if they buried her foot with her.

Peace be with you.