Grandpa Smith’s basement was the coolest place when I was young mostly because Grandpa Smith was so cool. When he came over, we would get a Stephen Beisty book and spend hours reading it together. I learned to ride a bike at his house, played Chutes and Ladders, and read National Geographics on the back porch.
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But Grandpa’s basement? Their house was a typical farmhouse in a small town along the Mississippi in Iowa, so the basement was small and oddly shaped, but filled with adventures. The door to the outside was small, the floor was uneven, there was a dartboard, and there were pictures or trains and planes hanging up.
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In the farthest corner sat Grandpa’s toolbench. I couldn’t reach the light switch, so when Grandpa came down, his presence illuminated the area; filled with so many old tools, gadgets, and things that he’d saved just in case. Grandpa was born in 1914, became an adult through the Great Depression, and established his career during World War II. His life was formed by the philosophy of “nothing goes to waste” and “everything is useful”. His toolbench reflected that philosophy.
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When he passed, Grandma left his area untouched; my Dad and Uncles mostly worked through his tools and collections over the next few years. Over the years, I received a few of those tools and collections; they’re precious memories that I won’t discard, but a tin can of screws is difficult to put in the china cabinet.
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After my Dad passed, I gathered a few more of Grandpa’s items and thought “when I’m better at still life photography, I’ll take some photos.” I still don’t feel that I’m great at still life, but here’s a feeble attempt to honor my Grandpa’s legacy as an electrician, handyman, lifelong learner, and as someone who passed his love of learning onto his grandson.
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Grandpa stored washers, screws, bolts, nuts, and so much else in these small containers (including metal bandaid containers!). The tin at the top left has a sticker that reads “Muscatine, Iowa”, and the bottom right container has “coat hangers” in Grandpa Smith’s handwriting. And just as fun little family note – “Jan” is my older sister who wrote that when she was 5 or 6?
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Grandma & Grandpa Smith lived in Muscatine their entire adult lives; when the holidays rolled around, our family would pack up the car and head to Iowa after school on Friday. We’d get there at 7 or 8pm, and we 5 kids were starving!
Grandma had the perfect solution: warm Grandma sandwiches.
They weren’t fancy; just bologna, cheese and mayo baked on an open faced burger or hot dog bun. If we were lucky and got to Grandma’s house early enough, we got to turn the crank on the hand mixer.
When we got together this summer, we had Grandma sandwiches, not because of the ingredients, but because Grandma sandwiches remind all 5 of us J’s (and my Mom) of the holidays and the slower pace of Grandma & Grandpa’s house.