Bad Influences...Maybe, Maybe Not

I grew up in a very large house in a very small town. The whole household consisted of my great grand parents, my grand parents, and of course my mother and father. The house was old and had originally been built for a sea captain, who after his death, thought he'd stay on...forever. Yup, he wondered the old house, and often let himself be known he was about, although he never bothered anyone. Well, unless you call being woke up in the middle of the night, and he standing in the doorway of your bedroom, beckoning for you to follow him. He did this a lot to my brother... Guess he knew my brother could see him, and not be scared of him... had it been me, I'd have joined him in the afterlife after the first sighting, cause I'd have had a heart attack. My experience with him was the opening and shutting of doors for no apparent reason...

Anyway, I sort of wondered off what I really wanted to talk about, that was my grand mother, my moms, mom. Her name was Algonia Hilda Conrad. How my great grand parents ever came up with a moniker like that for her... I will never know. That was her name, but everyone called her Gunnie! Just as bad I guess, but a name she got use to. 

This is my grandmother "Gunnie" and my grandfather Clyde. This was shortly after they were married. 

I believe she was where I got a bit of my wierd sense of humor from. She loved to laugh and often at others expense. When I was young, it was often my expense. 

She would often take me for little walks and stop and visit people, and end up telling me curse words which she'd instruct me to use. I had no idea they were bad words, till after I arrived back home. 

I was informed by my mother, after recieving telephone calls from appaled and upset people, and Gunnie would laugh, which would piss off my mother even more. 

I pretty well believed everything she said and did whatever she asked me to do. I was only 4 or 5 at this time. I don't remember this particular incident, but one day my dad was going fishing. He and a couple friends were going on a fishing trip up to the lake at our camp, and would be gone for a few days. So after he was gone, Gunnie hauled me aside and told me we could make some money off of this. 

She told me to go door to door around the neighbourhood and see if I could get anyone to order some fish. She said dad would be bringing fish home, and we could sell them. So I did! I don't remember if I got any fish orders, but I do know Mom got plenty of visitors and telephone calls...again! 

 I pulled this pic up of our old camp, when we owned it, it didn't have the log siding and had a deck on the front. I was amazed it still existed, as the other houses located around it are all modern. The cabin was the second one built on Long Lake, by my grand father (dads father) and my Dad. It sure was good to see it again though!

Gunnie pulled many pranks on me over the years, all in good fun, even if some didn't think so, she also had a great many friends, one, who would call her on her birthday every year, and play happy birthday on his accordian while singing the words to her. He did that right up to the year he himself, died. 

She was always quick with a joke and loved to laugh, she had her bad habits as we all do, but I like to remember her for her humor and her love she gave to me. 

So this was a little bit more about me, now maybe some can realize that sense of humor I have, it wasn't inherited, it was learned! 😃
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