Childhood Toys, and Memories of a Loving Grandfather

On the evening before I left, Mom showed me some of my old toys that she wanted either to give to me or give to a rummage sale. One of the boxes contained all of the dollhouse furniture that had populated the enormous dollhouse Dad's dad had made for me many years ago.

This was the most amazing dollhouse. He had crafted by hand it in his workshop, which he called a "shanty". The dollhouse was about as tall as I was when I received it (I must have been five or six). We lived in a narrow three-story townhouse at the time, and this dollhouse was also a narrow three story townhouse. He'd stained it red, and either painted or affixed decals of windows and a door (I can't remember exactly since I haven't seen it in a long time).

Mom had helped me to furnish the dollhouse not only with doll-sized furniture, but also with wall paper. The furniture was almost perfectly to-scale, if you assume that this dollhouse had extremely high ceilings. I remember spending many hours playing with this house - rearranging the furniture and bringing the dolls to life.

I could not think of parting with this doll furniture, even though I hadn't seen it in well over a decade, if not much more. It was a part of some of my happiest childhood memories, and it reminded me of my grandfather.

Remembering the dollhouse got me thinking about how it came to be that my grandfather, who had fifteen grandchildren in all, could possibly have found the time to make such a wonderful and special gift just for me. I have never been a grandparent, so I really don't know what that feels like. Was each of his fifteen grandchildren as special as the next? Did he have that much room in his heart?

I felt very touched to think that we each may have meant so much to him, and that I was special enough for him to put so much effort into a dollhouse. Of course, he spent lots of time making lots of things in his workshop, but this gift was so perfect for me at that time, it was probably the best gift I received that Christmas. It is certainly the only one I remember receiving that year, and I know it wasn't the only one!
^ Pittsburgh - August 2004 < Bicycling in the Pennsylvania Alps The Homewood Chronicles >