On having a granddaughter

Well, our daughter is ready to pop any day now.  And, she's having a girl, which led me to think back to my own grandmother.  Grandma Parks had red hair and freckles and a mischievous laugh.  She was one grand lady!  My mother, seen here with my dad when they were courting, was a teacher, so I spent many an afternoon with my grandparents, since they were the ones who picked me up from the bus stop and walked me to their house.  EVERY AFTERNOON.  They didn't miss one day from the time I was in first grade through the end of fifth grade.  By sixth grade, my mother decided I could walk to my own neighborhood school, which I did, along with my 3 neighbors (safety in numbers, I guess)...Anyway, I digress.  Grandma used to tell me all kinds of Irish legends.  I couldn't figure out why...her side of the family was German and Swiss.  Turns out, my grandfather's side was...well, I haven't quite figured that out...either Irish or English or both.  Perhaps she got those stories from her mother-in-law?  I knew all about banshees, leprechauns, and wailing dogs...hmmm....Grandma and I spent many afternoons together in her sewing room and she taught me how to sew.  She also taught me how to cook, which I started doing in sixth grade, to spare my father and me from my mother's cooking.  I never knew what "rare" meat was until I met my husband and he showed me!  So, I'm especially excited that a granddaughter is on the way!  She won't need to learn to cook from me (both of her parents are excellent cooks!), but I can show her how to plant sunflower seeds and sew and share my love of animals with her (especially horses).  That might be tough because our daughter is allergic to horses (and practially every other animal on earth!)  I'll be sure and let y'all know when little "Ellie" arrives.  I kind of like the name "Ellie"...my great-grandmother was "Effie Mae".  I'm sure we won't have an "Ellie Mae" in the family, but they haven't picked a middle name yet.