Rats Beware!
By Jabo
@jaboUK (64354)
United Kingdom
September 29, 2016 10:11am CST
My abiding memory of my maternal grandmother is of her sitting by a rathole in her cottage with a hammer in her hand, ready to wallop an unsuspecting rat. Apparently she caught a few this way, but I never saw her do it.
Granny was a small dumpy woman who always wore her hair up in a bun, and I remember as a child being really shocked one day when I caught her with it down. We were both embarrassed, as it was somehow considered indecent, goodness knows why.
She lived with my grandfather in a tiny cottage with a huge garden in a little village in the heart of England, very rarely venturing outside it. Life was quite hard as she had no labour-saving devices, and the cottage had neither electricity nor piped gas.
Water was obtained from a well outside the back door, and personal needs were taken care of by trekking to the 'privy' at the end of the garden. This consisted of a small shed housing a wooden seat with a hole in it.
Granny spoke in a strong rural dialect, and pronounced the 'i' sound as 'oy'. Thus 'my' became 'moy', and we children were always 'moy dears' to her. She was always pleased to see us and would clasp us to her ample bosom while showering us with endearments.
I've previously written about my paternal grandmother, this one is my mother's mother.
Do you have fond memories of any of your grandparents?
Photo is the only one I have of Granny.
60 people like this
50 responses
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
29 Sep 16
@Drosophila It's hard to imagine such a scene, isn't it? They didn't have any rat poison in those days.
5 people like this
@Drosophila (16571)
• Ireland
29 Sep 16
@jaboUK well, I guess back in the days, it's just gotta be done :D
7 people like this
@vandana7 (101028)
• India
10 Oct 16
Brave lady...she did not get scared of something that moved so fast..last night I had a lizard move over my left leg..oh boy something ominous is going to happen thought me...came running to check...the net said I will get monies...want to buy a lottery today just to give a chance to that predictor to prove that prediction right..lol
2 people like this
@41CombedaleRoad (5968)
• Greece
30 Sep 16
My grandmother could hardly walk, she shuffled about in her kitchen with a chair that worked as a primitive walking frame. My father had cut the legs short. She used the seat as a tray, moving both the dinner and herself from one place to another.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
30 Sep 16
@41CombedaleRoad Your grandmother would have better equipment today, wouldn't she?
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
30 Sep 16
my late grandfather, mother's side, would prepare coffee at 4AM then talk aloud to us who were still asleep, "let's have coffee, let's have coffee".
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
30 Sep 16
@ridingbet Oh dear, that wasn't very considerate of him
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
1 Oct 16
@jaboUK no, actually, his calling was our alarm clock. it was time for us to get up and prepare breakfast. at 4AM, it was just right to be up because the transportation in our place was so scarce that time, we had to be out of the house to wait for tricycle to be on time at 6:30AM.
2 people like this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
29 Sep 16
oh how sweet. yes mainly my mothers mom. i remember particularly her fixing Thanksgiving dinner starting before daylight and hearing her "talk to the turkey"
i guess because no one else was usually up till i came out of bed to watch. saying funny things like "now i am going to stuff you with this good cornbread stuffing!" and cook you up good"
i guess because no one else was usually up till i came out of bed to watch. saying funny things like "now i am going to stuff you with this good cornbread stuffing!" and cook you up good"3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61101)
• United States
30 Sep 16
I never knew any of my grandparents and I feel the loss mightily. It is why I was determined to be the best granny ever!! lol
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61101)
• United States
1 Oct 16
@jaboUK lol I have it on good authority (Jack) that I am the best grandma!! Though in all honesty, I had just given him 10 new cars and chocolate milk!! I am not too proud to resort to bribery!! lol
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
1 Oct 16
@BelleStarr I'm sorry that you never knew your grandparents, and I'm sure you are well on the way to being the best one yourself
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (52021)
• Canada
30 Sep 16
My Dad built a "retirement" house on the home farm beside our house for his parents. I was so lucky to have my grandparents just across the laneway. And I spent a lot of time over there, time spent with my Gramma were some of my favorite times, I went there literally each and every day, at least once while she was alive. She taught me so much about so many things, as did my Grandpa.
My other grandparents lived a little ways away, and we didn't see a lot of them. My grandmother on that side had dementia and I don't ever remember her being "right" and as a result my grandfather was always on alert looking after her needs and protecting her from falling and never leaving her alone.
3 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
30 Sep 16
folks don't realize how fortunate they're these days, do they? i love the pic 'f yer granny :) she kinda reminds me 'f my great-grand - my best friend when i 'twas wee, we spent lots 'f time talkin' 'f critters 'n her love 'f gardenin'. she'd a heavy appalachian accent, bein' mountain folk.
my maternal mamaw (momma's ma) 'twas quite the 'xpert 't stompin' mice 's they'd run by, lol. always amazed me ('n scared the heck outta me, too) to see her do such. one rarely got past her, she 'twas purty danged quick!
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
30 Sep 16
@crazyhorseladycx Funny that your mamaw was so good at getting those mice, and mine did the same with the rats. You couldn't imagine anyone doing that sort of thing today.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
1 Oct 16
@jaboUK lol, no ma'am - i simply aint quick 'nough these days fer such...'r coordinated. no doubt i'd be'n my bum with the mouse runnin' right o'er the top 'f me
2 people like this
@JESSY3236 (20174)
• United States
29 Sep 16
My grandmother raised me so I have alot of great memories.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
29 Sep 16
@JESSY3236 That's great that you have such good memories.
1 person likes this
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
29 Sep 16
Life in the past could be so simple, but quite hard too! Yes, I have beautiful memories of my grandmother who liked me very much. She gifted me my first jewelry; too bad I lost them all while playing.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
30 Sep 16
@acelawrites You are right about life being simple but hard work, but my grandmother seemed content. Sorry you lost the jewellery.
@5thHouse (1678)
• Sheffield, England
30 Sep 16
What great memories of your granny - especially of her walloping rats! I don't remember my grannies doing anything like that, but I do recall that my maternal grandmother, who was formerly a cook in service, would be forever serving up tripe and pig hock and other delights and she used to tell us kids we were 'big softies' for not wanting to try any of it.
2 people like this
@rebelann (113177)
• El Paso, Texas
30 Sep 16
You're lucky you can remember so much of her.
I couldn't have been more than maybe 3 years old, my maternal grandmother had me by the hand as we walked down a city street .... I say city because the trees that were there had bricks around their roots and the walk way was paved.
2 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
30 Sep 16
I have lots of memories, none of which have rats in them LOL.
2 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
30 Sep 16
@jaboUK I had two hamsters that was close enough to a rodent
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
30 Sep 16
@AbbyGreenhill Wot - no rats?! You've really missed out there!
@asfarasiknow (3340)
• Bournemouth, England
30 Sep 16
It's so important to keep the memory of ancestors like this alive. I am not sure that later generations are producing such interesting characters. For one thing, they are more likely to simply call out a pest control firm!
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
30 Sep 16
@asfarasiknow Well I know which I'd prefer to do, and it doesn't entail trying to hit a rat with a hammer! They weren't always the 'good ol' days' you know
1 person likes this
@asfarasiknow (3340)
• Bournemouth, England
30 Sep 16
@jaboUK Oh no - just good old characters!
1 person likes this
@norcal (4889)
• Franklinton, North Carolina
2 Oct 16
I do have memories of both of my grandmothers from when I was very young. When I was ten years old my mom moved us 4000 miles away from them, and cut all ties with both sides of the family. They got in touch again many years later. After that I did communicate with them by letter, and the occasional phone call. They are both gone now, and I never saw either of them again.
2 people like this
