Winter Blue Cold Winter Nights

Good evening sweet friends.
Well Bob and I are off this weekend for 
much needed time off.
Going to spend some time visiting our
favorite haunts (antique stores)
in the Thumb area of Michigan.
Plan on eating the famous chicken dinner
which put Frankenmuth, MI on the map.
Finally ending up at my mom's to spend
an evening with her and take her out for
an Valentine's Day dinner.
Getting away from the Winter blues.

While I thought of the name of this post,

it reminded me of cold Winter's nights

spent at gramma H's farmhouse.

After dinner she would make everyone

homemade hot chocolate. 

We would then gather around the table

and drink away...while warming up.

My mom and dad, sister, brother, gramma and I.

Hot cocoa was always sweeter when gramma made it!

Afterwards, our tradition would be playing Canasta.

Canasta is a card game.

The partners were always my mom and dad,

and gramma and I.

My sister and brother would go off and play

with their toys and watch tv. 

Gramma and I were always partners
in this card game. She was a sly partner at that.
Sneaky was more like it.
She would hold all of her cards and when she
knew she could win the game, she would
lick her thumb, make a fist and knock on the table.
Then show her cards out like a poker hand.

It was always amusing how she did it.

Sometimes she really got into the game and would

shout out a bad 4 letter word, cover her mouth

and say "Pardon my French" 

She was of French and German descent.

It was funny hearing my gramma swear.

We would play cards until bedtime. 

Bedtime had its own routine.

My sister and I would traipse upstairs,

get our jammies on while gramma got ready 

in the upstairs bathroom. 

She would come out in her flannel nightie.

Her hair would be in corn rollers and would

 be wrapped inside her nightcap.

She would first tuck us in under the quilts,

then she would open the window and have a cigarette.

(gramma took up smoking after grandpa passed)

Once she was finished with her smoke,

she would go to her dresser and grab the Vasoline.

A finger full of Vasoline always went into her mouth.
She told us that eating it helped not to get a cold.
Y U C K 
D O U B L E   Y U C K

She then turned off the light and joined
 us in bed for the night.
My sister and I always slept with gramma 
after grandpa passed until she sold her farmhouse.
Cold Winter nights were always warmer
at gramma H's.

How do you get over the Winter blues?

Cold Winter Night Memories To All!
Janice