I’m with my great grandmother here, and I was thinking about asking her some questions on video, and I have seen some great AMAs of elderly people so I was hoping I could come on here and maybe get some help with some interview questions.

I plan on taping the interview as best as I can and hopefully try to tape as I go. Helen, at the age of 90 just retired, she had worked on her sons farm, (my grandfather) doing work such as sorting dry beans, picking out the rocks and split beans, and making wreaths in the winter. Helen was married for to Frank until he passed in the early to mid 2000’s I believe, I will get the numbers once she is back. (she will be with me in just a couple minutes, hopefully we can get the questions rolling a little bit first)

Gram, (or Helen) is as sharp as a tack, and has a pretty good sense of humor, and hopefully you guys will have some good questions. I’ll probably post an update regardless if this gets any attention. I’ll try to answer the questions in her words as best as I can. Thanks!

EDIT: I respectfully request you don't ask anything too inappropriate or anything that you wouldn't want to ask your great grandmother.

EDIT: 12:24 this has kind of turned into a prolonged story telling session, so i am trying to squeeze in some questions as i go, especially where they are relevant. doing my best. Thanks for the interest!

EDIT: Hey everyone, this hasn't gone exactly as i thought, so i apologize, i was hoping for more questions, but she gets derailed on other stories (partially due to my grandparents who are here with me) so sorry about that. the video is kind of different but if anyone has any interest maybe i can upload a video of my great grandmother story telling for an hour or so. sorry if it hasn't worked out as you expected. we are getting ready for thanksgiving now, so i will have to probably wish you farewell, i will try to post some updates but i'll probably be slowing down, Gram and i say thanks! sorry i didn't get to as many as i had hoped, but now we're getting ready for an early thanksgiving dinner. Thanks everyone, happy thanksgiving!

Anyways here is some proof: http://imgur.com/a/sviEi

Comments: 1011 • Responses: 33  • Date: 

iamthetruth123946 karma

Update: this is a bit much for gram all at once, she would prefer to take it lightly and maybe tell some stories as opposed to the heavy life lesson type of stuff.

Rose1266866 karma

Hi Helen and grandson! What was your first job? And did you go to college?

iamthetruth1231951 karma

"First job was picking strawberries for the man down the road, for 4 cents a quart. I didn't go to college, I did graduate high school though with 15 others, and i'm the last one left!"

alflup145 karma

Did you know those 15 others for the rest of your life? Like did they stay in the area or if they moved did you stay pen pals?

iamthetruth123289 karma

If i remember correctly they mostly all did stay in the area, she remembers seeing one two years ago in the grocery store, but he passed last year -great grandson

cwiggles792 karma

What is your favorite technology that's been invented in your life? My grandmother loves her electric hand mixer.

iamthetruth1231155 karma

"I loved my bread mixer, i sure loved that, I don't make as much bread as I did, we didn't update stuff like that too much, if it worked we used it, if it broke, we fixed it."

looked like this: http://www.mushycat.com/photos/dough_maker.jpg

iamthetruth123598 karma

Hey everyone, this hasn't gone exactly as i thought, so i apologize, i was hoping for more questions, but she gets derailed on other stories (partially due to my grandparents who are here with me) so sorry about that. the video is kindof different but if anyone has any interst maybe i can upload a video of my great grandmother story telling for an hour or so. sorry if it hasn't worked out as you expected. we are getting ready for thanksgiving now, so i will have to probably wish you farewell, i will try to post some updates but i'll probably be slowing down, Gram and i say thanks! sorry i didnt get to as many as i had hoped.

j8tommy563 karma

In your opinion, who was the best president you saw, and why?

iamthetruth1231179 karma

"no particular favorites, not interested in politics, now i'm just interested in families, church, the people I associate with, and do what i can to help other people"

mohikana549 karma

What is your favorite food that they don't make anymore?

iamthetruth123875 karma

didn't get a whole lot of choice growing up, one of the favorites was: "her mother bought cans of mackrel, 12 cents a can, take the skin and bones out of it, mix it with mashed potatoes, and toss it in the oven. she tried making it recently and made it into patties, she also used to like fresh fish from when she did fish. food was very expensive, bread was 15 cents, hamburg was 25 cents a pound, thats quite a bit when you made a dollar a day, i started drinking coffee at 11, "it was hotter than the hobbes of hell!" her dad used to say."

bunglejerry232 karma

I figure that'd be the "Calvins of Hell".

renelien332 karma

hob or hobbe is also another term for burner, as in the thing on the stove.

i know you're just making a joke, but this actually an interesting language point to me, so i felt compelled to share.

iamthetruth12333 karma

Thank you! TIL

fantalemon497 karma

Is there anything you've done in your life that you feel that everyone should do at some point? Any experiences that you would consider a must?

iamthetruth1231185 karma

"I really like helping people, I think everyone should try that out! Frank and I have helped a lot of people in our day, most evryone has appreciated it. Even where frank is gone, people might say, remember what you and Frank did for me? it feels good to hear, it's like an investment."

Li54489 karma

What's a story you wish someone would ask you about?

iamthetruth1231063 karma

"none in particular but I hope theres some no one does ask me about"

tomun327 karma

What's the farthest you've been from home, and what were you doing there?

iamthetruth123556 karma

"when i graduated from highschool, we hadn't been very far, maybe bangor, or dover, our graduating class had a class trip, we went to Boston, which was the first time i left the state of Maine, since then probably California or Colorado, lived in calorado a bit when frank was in the service, when my folks died, i worked for 1 and a half years to pay for the funeral, but then i headed out to Colorado, I had to go down later than I expected, I worked for continental airlines in Colorado, where we made maps, where they came through on a belt, and you had to fold them in a certain way really quick, no one would go in the dark room because they would have to take their wedding ring off, so I was excited to do that for work because i would hve made 50 cents an hour, but then the war ended and i didn't get to."

EllWork266 karma

When you talk with your grandson, what do you have in common aside from family? Do you share similar views on life? (politics, culture, technology etc?)

iamthetruth123342 karma

We mostly chat about everyday life. (gram doesn't follow politics much, and she doesn't keep up with technology as much as I do) however we share similar views on life. I guess, sorry this is tough to answer in grams word because of how much we just chat.

xmarksthebluedress258 karma

since you must have heard a lot of them in 92 years - would you be so kind and tell me your favourite joke?

iamthetruth123626 karma

not so much of a joke, but a story that got her laughing.

"My first impression as a mother in law couldn’t have been great, my daughter in law used to bring her fish with her in a coffee pot, and I tried to be helpful by cleaning up a fish tank I had in the basement, so I cleaned it but I guess I didn’t rinse it well enough, because there was still too much bleach in it and that gold fish was just white as can be."

iamthetruth123234 karma

to be honest, she just gave me a long story that i had a hard time following and she has sortof moved on, so I will give you another one, hopefully later as we go. -great grandson

battlemetal_521 karma

makes great grandmother do an AMA

doesn't really listen to what she says

iamthetruth123241 karma

It's not really like that, she is unfamiliar with the concept of reddit, sorry man, doing my best.

hells_belle1187 karma

Hi gram and happy thanksgiving! What is your favorite holiday dish and why? I ask because I had the honor of cooking in a pot last night that my great grandfather made in the 1940s.

iamthetruth123246 karma

"Minced meat turnovers are a favorite, I try to put some venison in whenever I can! I also make a good rum fruit cake. I used to make indian pudding, raisins, dates, corn meal, molasses, it had a good lemon sauce I'd have to look up the recipe. I used to make some good canned brown bread too, you have to steam it."

UniqueSnowflake02139 karma

Hi from the UK.

People often say life was better before technology such as mobile phones and the internet. Would you agree with this? Do you use such technology yourself and how would life be different for you if they had the technology when you were younger?

iamthetruth123210 karma

She likes the phone, and tv, but doesn't really mess with cell phones, and internet, and she seems certainly happy, she thinks people would have likely used the same way, but she enjoyed the entertainment of her youth, fishing, croquet, swimming, basketball, etc.

Durbee57 karma

My gram was a basketball player. Does she remember when the girls games were all half-court?

Also - she mentioned she graduated HS. Does she remember any of her graduation presents? My grandmother kept a list in the back of her yearbook and they were all home-making items and (of all things) panties. I'm wondering if that was a regional thing.

iamthetruth12331 karma

Yes! gram played basketball in high school 6vs 6, half court.

captaincupcake234137 karma

How did you meet your husband?

Also, a question for the grandson, do sometimes people mistake you for Seth Rogan?

iamthetruth123455 karma

She met frank at a toller rink called luckys landing. Frank fell on her, they met, and for the rest of his life he said it was a lucky landing.

captaincupcake234139 karma

That's freaking adorable! :)

iamthetruth12375 karma

Yeah my dad framed a cool old picture, with luckys landing in the background he bought on ebay, for like $100 and a paper clipping of something cool from that day they met and gave it to her for her 90th

VotesThings34 karma

You just know he fell on her on purpose.

iamthetruth12340 karma

Well he would never admit it ;)

noisesoff5126 karma

Well my comment was deleted because I didn't ask a question. So, OP what's your favorite story about your great grandma?

And

I just want to say the ama may not have been what you expect but I loved it. It reminded me of both my great grandmothers who each died in their 90's. I think this was a great way for you to honor yours. Thanks for sharing with us.

iamthetruth123257 karma

Well, when i was 13 (i think i was 13), I got an xbox, it was my first gaming console, and she played Halo with me, I'm 20 now. anyways, it was a close match.

Bestialman28 karma

Wait, what?! You played Halo with your grandma? Does she know how to play? Explain yourself!

iamthetruth12332 karma

Yeah it was pretty much both our first times gaming, she was good!

raspistoljeni95 karma

Do you think it's possible to utilize every waking moment so that one doesn't find themselves at 92 wondering if they could have done things differently? Or is it inevitable to look back and regret something?

iamthetruth123245 karma

gram says "you're getting out of my line" she is focused on the now. she says "live day to day, live more of a relaxed a life than she used to live."

indulgeme8294 karma

What are your thoughts on drugs? Any stories you can remember ?

iamthetruth123231 karma

I have asked this a while back, and she hasn't really done much, but she doesnt think anyone doing drugs is other peoples' business, she has a couple glasses of wine on the holidays and drinks a lot of black coffee, but otherwise, she seems pretty indifferent about it, she has mentioned before though, seeing peoples lives ruined due to alcoholism, so i think she is wary of drugs in general.

Dickdude900044 karma

Is family everything ?

iamthetruth12391 karma

"family is very important to me"

Mr_Giblets100 karma

That's a politician's answer right there.

Q: Mr Mayor, is infrastructure your #1 priority?

A: Infrastructure is very important to me.

iamthetruth1238 karma

yeah kinda, but gram is a sweetheart, and i know she means it, you would too if you met her.

Crime_Monkey35 karma

Hey from Germany, it may be a bit rude to ask that, but what did you experienced while WWII? Do you have to left your home or was "everything ok" (ok as it can be in this time)?

iamthetruth1235 karma

Gram isn't here to answer this now, but from wat i've heard, both her and frank made a pretty significant effort towards the war, whether or not it was intentional, i believe they are both a bit patriotic, and would have probably done it again. Gram also lived so far from any big population in the US, probably 100 miles from boston, as the closest, that they never felt any real threat during the war.

poopie420-27 karma

Hi Gram, thanks for doing the AMA.

Are you still sexually active at 92? If not, when did you stop?

Thanks.

iamthetruth1239 karma

Sorry but I'm not asking my great grandmother that, but she has been unmarried since frank died and I think she is enjoying the single life.

dberis-33 karma

You have no interests, no professional activity, no apparent higher education, and no views. Why are you doing this IAmA?

iamthetruth12318 karma

She has education, has worked until she was 90, and doesn't want to talk politics, she is 92 years old, if you dont like it, please move on.

boredsubwoofer-39 karma

Why did you just post the stupidest AMA ever?

(just because you have an internet connection doesn't automatically mean that you have something you have to share. Seriously, just let your granny chill, enjoy Thanksgiving, and maybe go spend time with your family. Don't host an AMA that has absolutely no value whatsoever.)

iamthetruth12316 karma

Happy thanksgiving to you too!