Lost in the Sky at Grandpas Cabin Essay - 5748 Words

Lost in the Sky at Grandpas Cabin My grandfather carries on entire conversations while he salts his food. He salts indiscriminately: His corn, his pasta, his fish, even his fruit. He never samples his food before reaching for the shaker: He knows it has yet to be salted to his liking. The one thing my grandfather doesnt salt is his beer. If theres one taste my grandfather likes more than salt, its the wheaty, fizzy flavor of Labatts Blue. It comes in cans at fifty cents a pop. There is a full-sized refrigerator rigged up in the basement of my grandparents summer cottage to accommodate my grandfathers beer. He buys it in boxes of thirty. They never last long. My grandmother will spring for the occasional beer, but her drink†¦show more content†¦Next door resides a variety of relatives, whose precise relations to me are sometimes unclear: they are always characterized by a great or a second or a once removed. Once when I was thirteen, a family came to visit who were relatives of my relatives, a family that included a fine-looking young male specimen with a firm and nicely bronzed chest. Before deciding if it was acceptable to flirt with him, I had to sit down and draw out a family tree to figure out whether he was blood-related. He wasnt. The drinking that transpires next door makes the habits of my grandparents look like childs play. They pass over the beer and wine and head straight for the hard stuff. My grandmas sister, my great-aunt, starts her day off with a scotch and soda. My cousins are mixing margaritas before theyve finished digesting lunch. By the time cocktail hour rolls around, theyre all hammered. Sunset only invites more madness. If my great-aunts middle-aged sons arent setting off $2000 worth of illegal fireworks down at the beach, theyre either rigging raccoon traps or offering driving lessons in my great aunts red Chrysler convertible to any number of prepubescent cousins. The alcohol creates diversion but it also creates tensions. When my grandparents get tipsy, they start snapping and ordering people around. I can see the wine begin to take effect on my grandma: the corners of her mouth pull down into a sour pout. Sometimes she and my grandpa say things thatShow MoreRelatedGrapes of Wrath Essay4878 Words   |  20 Pagescondition help set the mood for the story? As the story begins, Steinbeck describes the land being very dull and dead when he states that â€Å"The wind grew strong and hard and it worked at the rain crust in the corn fields. Little by little the sky was darkened by the mixing dust, and the wind felt over the earth, loosened the dust, and carried away† (2). This description gives insight on how harsh the land is to live on, but most importantly it foreshadows what the Joads and several other familiesRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesRamone, look at those two white guys on the other side of the street. They look friendly. The blond guy with him looks like he would rip your lungs out just to see what would happen. The other one is just as fierce, and hes carrying the radio I lost yesterday; its got my sticker on the side. If Ramone leaves believing that the two guys are friendly because his friend said, They look friendly, then he has violated some principle of logical reasoning. What principle? ï‚ · Reasons should