Pat Bean's blog

Me and my oldest great-granddaughter Savannah, who is now a tall five-year-old.

“My grandmother was over 80 and still didn’t need glasses. Drinks right out of the bottle.” – Henny Youngman

Morning Chat

          I recently read an article that listed 63 sayings that we learned from our grandmothers. As I read, I remembered my grandmother actually saying about half of them.

But the list didn’t include her favorite; Pasty Lee — that’s what she called me – Did you know the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I heard that often, most likely after some excuse I had invented to get myself out of trouble from mischief.

My grandmother was not the stereotypical sweet little old lady. She was big, fast with a switch to my legs when I misbehaved, and loved her afternoon Pearl Beer – and I loved her dearly. She made the best enchiladas in the world and she had two songs she was always singing; My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean, an old Scottish folk song, and It’s a Long Way to Tipperary from World War I. The lyrics from those two songs still often pop into my head at unexpected moments.

A few of my grandmother’s other sayings included: Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched, Pretty is as pretty does. You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. There’s no use crying over spilled milk. And, There’s more than one way to skin a cat.

I was only 11 or 12 when my grandmother died. But I still miss her.

Bean Pat: To grandmothers the world over. And to my own 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren who have brought many smiles to my face.

Pat Bean is a retired journalist who lives in Tucson with her canine companion, Scamp. She is a wondering-wanderer, avid reader, enthusiastic birder, Lonely Planet Community Pathfinder, Story Circle Network board member, author of Travels with Maggie available on Amazon, and is always searching for life’s silver lining.