Descriptive Essay

Chante Francisco

Descriptive Essay - My Grandparent’s House

My most favorite place has always been my grandparent’s house. This is the

place I would have to go to before and after school. I have always loved my

grandparent’s house because it made me feel safe and warm. There was a smell of

coffee in the air at all times. It seemed like all my grandmother did was make coffee.

If I smell coffee, I instantly think of my grandparent’s house. My grandparent’s house

was always filled with people. I can remember sitting in a chair watching her do hair.

She would take a hot comb and straighten her client’s hair. The smell of burning hair

would linger in the house for days.

The house was old. My grandparent’s lived in it most of their life. The house was

white with black trimming, but most of the paint was chipped away on the back porch,

there was always fire wood. No matter if it was winter; spring, summer, or fall, there

would always be firewood on the porch. The house had one of those older heaters that

used firewood. I can recall putting wood in the heater and taking a poker to stir the

flames. That was the closest I ever came to playing with fire. I used to get so

excited and would always volunteer to poke the fire.

In the summer, we would play at the pond behind the house. It looked more like

a swamp than a pond. The pond was black as night and home to the snakes, tadpoles,

frogs, and fish. We would go to the pond to catch the tadpoles and fish. When night

fell, we would run around and catch fireflies. We also helped plant peas, collard

greens, and corn around the area. The corn grew up like a forest! I can remember

running through the corn and playing hide and seek. Even after all the fun I had,

picking the vegetables and shelling the peas was not my favorite moment.

On Sundays, Grandmother would cook a big Sunday dinner. Everyone was

expected to come to her house after church. The men would be in the den watching the

television while the women cooked. They would cook chicken, collard greens, peas, and

sweet potato pie. All of the kids had to stay outside and play, so not to get in the

way. If family came from out of town, the food supply would seem endless. Afterward,

everyone went home knowing that they were full and happy.

Recently, I returned to my grandparent’s house. It seemed so empty because no

one lives there now since my grandfather passed four years ago and know my

Grandmother has been ill and had to go to a nursing home. Some of the windows are

broken, and the house is run down. The once beautiful garden is now but a patch of dirt,

and the wonderful pond that I once loved to fish in is now dried up. I closed my eyes

and imaged the family sitting at the table, enjoying Sunday dinner, but now, things just

don’t seem the same.