A Gift of Memories from the Grandparents

This weekend while home at my parents on a scorching summer day, I was browsing some old albums my Grandma Hirt had put together and that my mom got after she died.  In this pile of books were some interesting journals with questions to ask your grandparents about growing up.  Grandma Hirt had filled out the answer for her mom, my Great Grandma Hawkins and herself and had even asked my Grandpa Hirt and transcribed for him. This gave me a great idea. Why not recreate these journals and have Gavin get to know his grandparents a little better?  Then record it here for this blog which will be eventually turned into a book for his High School graduation.  I so enjoyed reading my grandparents answers and I think years from now he will love the memory too.

So here is the first one:

A Gift of Memories

Childhood

Full Name: Jacine Carol Hirt

Father:             Donald Neil Hirt                      Birthplace       KS              
Mother:            Norma Lee Hawkins               Birthplace       KS                      

Were you named after someone and why did they give you that name?

Named after Uncle Claude’s oldest daughter and grandma and grandpa liked the name.

How old was your mom when you were born? unsure- would have to do the math

Who did they say you looked like?

Grandpa and Grandma

Did you ever have a nickname?

Sis- This was passed down for generations including calling your mom sis.

What important event happened the year you were born?

Unsure

Where were you born?

Date: June 3, 1956

Birthplace: Marysville, KS

Did you have any brothers or sisters and what are their names?

Linda

Did you ever fight with your brothers and sisters? Who treated you the nicest, and who the worst?

I was the oldest and yes I picked on my sister.

Did you have to share your room and your things?

No, never.

Growing up

Can you remember your favorite birthday present?

Doll

How much did the tooth fairy leave you for a tooth?

.25c

How old were you when you got an allowance and how much was it?

About 13 and it might have been a couple dollars.

How did your parents punish you? Did they spank you? Who was stricter?

Grandma was stricter. She spanked and used a board that said Board of Education on it. There were kids lined up on it and she kept it by the coffee pot.

What was the naughtiest things you ever did?

I called my mom a bitch and grandpa chased me around the block and when grandpa caught me, his words hurt me, more than hitting me.

What were your favorite games and toys?

Race car set, liked playing Memory, and Hide and Go Seek, Handy-I-Over

Did you ever go sledding, skiing, or skating? What sports did you like? Were you on sports teams?

Yes I sledded, roller skated, skate boarded, played softball, volleyball, track

Did you get to stay up as late as you wanted to and watch TV or listen to radio or records?

No I had to be in bed by 9:00 during school, 10 on weekends. I could have radio on but had to be in bed.

Did you ever argue about your bedtime?
No

Did you ever go to the hospital? Have stitches? Break bones?

Tonsils out when I was little.  When I was babysitting I had appendicitis. Never broke bones till I was old.

Were you scared of doctors or shots?

Doctors no but shots I didn’t like.

What kind of transportation did you have? Did you ever ride in a plane bus train or boat? What else?

Grandpa had a car. Didn’t ride a plane until I was old- to come see you at Christmas in AL.

Did you ever run away from home or hide from your mom and dad? Why?

No. I ran around the block just the one time when Grandpa chased me.

Where was your favorite place to go when you were angry?

I would go sit on the porch and swing.

What chores did you have to do?

Clean room, help in garden, dress chickens, can veggies and fruits, cleaned house, help with laundry.

When given money what did you spend it on? 

After school we would go to the drug store and get a vanilla coke.

Did you have a pet? What was its name?

A big dog named Rex, a wiener dog named Cindy, a rabbit named Charlie (I won it in an Easter egg hunt).

What did you most like about your best friend? Did you have fights and secrets?

I didn’t have a best friend.  My closest friend would be Suzie MacAtee.

Did kids ever tease you? Was there a bully who picked on you?

Yes.  Gary Baker was a mean kid.

Your House Growing Up

What did your house look like?

2 stories, had a basement with laundry, had 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms in Waterville.  When grandpa lost his job we moved to Marysville from where the chicken hatchery was, so we rented the big house in Waterville to Sanders. When we moved back in it was because Grandpa got a job at Georgia Pacific.

How big was your yard?

Had a huge yard.

Did it have an attic or a creepy room that scared you?

No.

How big was your room? What did it look like?

My room was bigger than my sisters. It had a walk in closet and was painted lavender and I had tie dyed curtains and two windows. One faced the South the other West.

Could you keep it messy if you wanted?

No

How many people lived at your house?

4

What was your favorite thing in the whole house and do you still have it?

The rocking chair we still have.

  Celebrations

What did you usually do on Thanksgiving?

We would go to Grandma Hawkins.

Was your mom a good cook? What did she make best?

Yes I thought so. Fried chicken.

Did you help with Christmas preparations?

Yes, I would mash potatoes. Set the table and help do dishes after.

Best Christmas? 

Grandpa raced cars with me.

Do you remember a special gift you made for someone?

I always picked flowers for my mom.

Did Santa come to your house?

Yes.

Did you ever see him or talk to him?

Yes. He came to the house every year.

Did you hang your stockings, what did Santa leave in them?

Grandma hung the stockings and I would get writing pads, coloring book, crayons, hard candies.

Did you have a tree? How did you decorate it?

We had a real tree for many years and we would go into the pasture and cut it down and I helped decorate it.  A fake tree came when grandma was older.

What did you usually do on Christmas?

We would wake up really early and run downstairs to see what Santa left us and we would all be in our pjs.

Did you make cards on Valentines day?

Yes.

Did you ever give or get flowers or candy from a boy/girl?

I got flowers when I was in HS. Mostly your grandpa when we were dating.

Did the Easter bunny come to visit? Did you have egg hunts?

He left me treats. Yes I won Charlie there one year. We would wake up, eat breakfast, get ready for church and we would have a chocolate Easter bunny next to our plates.

Did you celebrate 4^th of July? How? Did you have fireworks? 

Yes. I was scared of fireworks.  So I did run away once, when the fireworks scared me in Blue Rapids.

Did you dress up for Halloween or make your own costume?  What was your favorite?

Never made my own costume but I did dress up. I was a witch. I didn’t care for Halloween.

Did you trick or treat?

Yes.

What traditions did your family have?

We went to church every Sunday, every other Sunday we went to see Grandma Hawkins, we celebrated Christmas and Thanksgiving with Grandma Hawkins.

Did you ever have a big family reunion?

No.

What schools did you go to?

Valley Heights and Cloud County Community College

Did you get good grades?

Average

What subjects did you like? Hate?

Hated World History, liked English the best.

Did you walk to school or ride a bus?

Walked home from school.

Did you ever tease your teachers or play jokes on them?

No.

Did you play hooky?

No.

Did you have lots of homework?

Sometimes

Did you travel growing up?

Yes we went on vacation every year.

What was your favorite trip?

The Dakota’s, I liked seeing the Indian stuff.

Did you go on family vacations? 

Yes

Did you go fishing or swimming?

Swimming sometimes, not very good at it. Fishing – one of the best times was when Norma would make a picnic basket with fried chicken and we would go to Tuttle Creek and grandpa would fish.

What was the longest distance you ever went on a trip?

California- San Leandro, San Francisco

Did you ever take a trip by yourself?

No.

Did you go the State Fair or amusement park?

No.

How old were you when you learned to drive?

16.

Did you have your own car? What was it?

Yes. A dark green Dodge Dart.

Did your parents ever ground you? What for?

No.

What did you and your friends do on weekends?

Rode bikes, horse back riding, and when older we would go to Marysville and cruise. I always liked racing my car on dirt roads.

Did you ever get into trouble with your friends? What happened?

No.

What did you think about most as a teenager?

Having fun.

What time did you have to be at home at night?

Midnight on weekends.

How old were you when you started dating?  Did you ever have a boy/girl turn you down when you asked for a date?  How did you react?

16 on first date with John Spunaugle to the movies.

How did you feel when you met your date’s parents?

We were family friends with them.

Who is the boy/girl you remember the most?

John Spunaugle

When you met grandpa/grandma where did you meet and how old were you? 

I met Grandpa through Uncle Robert and Grandpa came in to pay the water bill and I said no. That’s when I got my first bouquet of flowers.

Were you serious from the start, or did you still date other people?

No, I had just recently been engaged to Rick Peterson so I didn’t want to be serious.
But when I finally said yes we had a nice time.

Where did you go on your first date? What was it like?

Movies in Salina, KS. It was a Star Wars movie.  I had a nice time.

What was your favorite thing to do together?

Fishing every weekend.

Did your parents like him/her right away?

Yes.

Did you ever have a big fight while you were dating?

Yes I don’t know what it was about.

When did you ask him/her to marry you? Where were you?  What did you do to propose?  How did he/she respond?

We lived together which my parents didn’t like. I don’t remember.

What was your wedding like? When and where was it?

We got married in on Broadway in Concordia, KS. My dad walked me from the kitchen to the living room and Sally and Greg were our witnesses and Norma had a beautiful cake.

Did anything funny happen that day?
Rodney Lowell threw a bottle of alcohol – Cold Duck and it spilled on Norma’s table cloth from Japan.

Did you have a honeymoon? Where did you go?

Yes I was pregnant with Sarah and we went to Branson, Missouri to fish and stayed in a cabin. We took a boat out and I sunned my big ol’ belly.

Where did you first live together?

19^th street in Concordia, then Broadway, then 14^th

What was your first job?

Babysitting

What was the worst job you ever held?

Babysitting

What is your favorite funny story about the first years you were married?

Lying out in the sun topless at the lake with Kim, Blair’s wife, and Uncle Cecil.

When and where were your children born?

Concordia Sarah Nov 3, 1980 and Josh in Marysville Feb 20, 1984

About my parents

What was my mom/dad like as a baby?

Sarah was a good baby.

Did they get into mischief and get spanked?

Yes.

What chores did you make them do? Did you give allowance?

None.

Did they behave in school and get good grades?

Yes. Straight A’s.

What thing did they like to do best?

Playing with dolls and playing school.

Did they keep a clean room?

Yes.

Did they ever do something special or surprise you to make you happy or proud?

Yes. Sarah picked dandelions. Finding pretty rocks.

What will you always remember about them?

Sarah always was miss perfect, miss independent.

If you could…

If you could spend a week doing anything you wanted, what would it be like?

Take a trip somewhere for a week with your grandpa and fish or whatever there is to do, walk, see things.

If you could, which age of your life would you most like to revisit and why?

30’s because I felt good and it was nice back then.

If you were elected president what would you do for our country?

I don’t know.

What do you feel is the most significant change to happen in your lifetime?

Getting old.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world even someone who is dead, who would it be?  Why?

My Grandpa Hirt (your Great, Great, Grandpa) because he loved me unconditionally and he made me feel good about being me.

Can you tell me a funny story about my family?

Your mom would always say, “Shh baby seepin.”  I got your mom and Uncle Josh a voice recorder and they would always sing, or pretend to be radio announcers.

Is there a place you always wanted to travel but never made it?

Germany

What is the most favorite place you have ever traveled?
Alabama was more beautiful than I ever imagined.

What is your best memory?

Grandpa and I making a trip to Branson Missouri

What advice do you have for me as I grow older and make my way in the world?

I don’t know, it’s trying times. You just have to go out and make something of yourself.