Now I lay me down to sleep...

[MineralMan]

14. Well, clearly there is something different in our

reception of that as a child. What that is, I wouldn't want to guess, actually, although it's an intriguing difference.

My maternal grandmother was an old-timey Baptist, of the Texas variety. Reading through her old shape-note hymnal is interesting. A lot of the hymns are dark, minor-key things that dwell on similar aspects of Christianity. I have that hymnal in my collection now, and actually learned the whole shape-note concept of reading music in my early teens. It was interesting, and actually served to help me when transposing music was needed.

She was also a very dour individual in general, with a decidedly pessimistic outlook on life. I was one of the only grandchildren who could tolerate being around her for more than a few minutes as a child, and only because she told interesting stories about her own childhood in the late 19th century and early 20th century. She had information, so I could draw out those stories and learn from them.