Sidney

My grandfather, Sidney, loved owls. He and my grandmother had a wonderful collection of owl figurines in their apartment, many of which I got after he died. I don’t have them here, though. They are back at my parent’s house.

My grandpa was a sweet man. He always had Carefree gum and orange Tic Tacs in his pockets for us grandchildren. His drawers were packed with a seemingly endless supply of batteries for all the remote control cars he bought for the playroom in their apartment.

Grandpa was a cook in the Navy during WWII and he always baked his own bread, including a big, golden challah he made and blessed at my Bat Mitzvah. He made freshly squeezed orange juice every morning and had home exercise equipment decades before anyone else did.

Grandpa was the eldest of six boys. He died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease in 1998 while I was living in the Mississippi Delta and I flew home for his funeral. Even when he didn’t know who anyone was at the end of his life, he was still a sweet person – mild mannered and polite. The baby in my womb (whom we are currently calling “S-Dawg” for lack of a decided on name) will be named for him and I was thinking about him when I made this little owl today.

Have a good weekend everyone!