Do you piddle?
Piddle. Paddle. Piddle.
My Grandma referred to piddling as shopping/browsing.
She also called peeing: Piddling.
I really thought she made up this word, but when I looked it up it means exactly those two things!
Silly ME!
As a kid, when she said she was in the mood to piddle, I watched to see if she headed to the bathroom or if she grabbed her purse.
My Grandma loved to Piddle.
She and I would go to Jackson Byron’s and piddle for hours. We could also spend a crazy amount of time piddling at the 5 and dime.
When Grandpa was finally tired of all our piddling he would suggest we go home. Grandma would say, “ok, but lets make a quick stop at Woolworths first.”
Grandpa would always oblige and drive us there, knowing full well it was going to be anything but quick!
We would piddle around Woolworths for a while. She always found something here and there that I wanted needed. Finally, when Grandma was done piddling we would head to the checkout line.
And this is the best part of the piddling around…
At the checkout line, you know they have a bazillion last minute items, candy cigarettes, paper kites, chap stick, basically all the essentials. She would say to me: “Do you want something from here?”
My eyes would light up and the answer was a resounding YES.
Before I could get out my YES though Grandpa would always say the same thing: “Miriam, you are going to spoil her!”
Of course Grandma ignored this spoiling nonsense….she knew better. I needed a little bit of spoiling…and I cherished a day piddling with my Grandparents.
In her last few years of life, she was not able to piddle much. It was too much effort for her to get out of the house. She would say to me, “gosh I miss piddling around the store.”
I‘m going to make a piddle date for myself. Not even for a special purpose. Just to piddle.
And since I have such a tiny bladder, I will make sure I piddle at home prior to my piddling trip.
Do you have a piddler in your family?
Busy Bee Suz 
I'm a bit of a piddler myself. Mostly because I can't make a decision to save my life whilst shopping!
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Omigosh, what a nice pic of all of you with the babies!!!
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Oh SUZ, you made me laugh so hard I had to go PIDDLE! Yes, I've grown up using this word and I still say I'm piddling around when one of my kids call and ask what I'm doing. So funny that to your Grandma, it meant shopping. In my life it just means I'm not doing much, just Piddlin. Of course unless my bladders full…Love the memory! And glad you had a special Grandma. Make sure you take someone Piddling….Have a great day. Oh, and I'm having a giveaway..go see!
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I don't think I've really ever heard \”piddle\” used to mean shopping. Of course, the OTHER meaning is very familiar. That's the one I use all the time. I definitely need to piddle every time I'm piddling. Did I do that right?
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We called it piddling too! Both types of piddling.This was not to be confused with dawdling or dilly-dallying, which was when you piddled and no one else was in the mood…and they told you to get a move on!!
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We've always used the word in our family too – usually my mom says she's just \”piddling \” around the house. Next time I'm going to suggest she only do that in the restroom!!
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Very funny!We used the term piddle as in 'wasting time'so piddling and shopping are not related in my book.That's some serious business. 😉
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My husband is a piddler. In every sense of the word.
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What a cute post. My grandpa was a champion piddler!!! He could stay outdoors all day doing different projects.I enjoy your memories of your Grandma and how special she made you feel. I know you were a bright spot in her days too.
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my dad called it going for milk, he was from california though, he would be gone for hours
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Seriously, it's really a word. I thought it was something my family made up:) I come from a long line of piddlers. Including my father who piddles around the yard to avoid spending time in the house….
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I love this. Great memories and funny family quirks! Here's a fun fact: my DAD is the one in our family who says \”piddle\” when he means going pee. He doesn't call shopping piddling, but he is a GREAT shopper. My mom is a shopping \”piddler,\” but she wouldn't call it that. She can piddle around the stores for hours. Usually there is a meal at a restaurant in a day of piddling with her, too.
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I think I'm much more like your Grandpa than your Grandma when it comes to piddling.
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What a cute story! Please tell my you had a lunch counter at your Woolworth's. My grandma and I would shimmy up to a barstool and have lunch or ice cream.
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This is so funny! I have never heard the word piddle for shopping.
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Just remember to wash your hands when you're done piddling.Cliff note:I guess it is a real word, since my spell check didn't go nuts.
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I knew piddling was peeing but am not sure about the first – although come to think of it, Ex's southern grandmother used to mention Piddling now and then and perhaps she meant like your Grandma? Sounds like heavenly days you two spent together. Such awesome memories.
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I think I do too much of both kinds of piddling…
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I use the term often when describing an assortment of things I'm doing with no real goals in mind. I piddle in the yard, I piddle in the kitchen, I piddle pretty much everywhere. I never used the word referring to shopping. Shopping is a serious goal with money in hand.Love the photo of all of you and grandma. Nothing more special than 'Grandma' to piddle with.Now I've got to go 'piddle' and get back to work.LOL girl.
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Never heard it for shopping, but I have a funny story, my grandfather (even now at 88) will ask me in front of my HUSBAND if I need to stop for a \”tinkle.\” SHEESH!!!!
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I *am* the family piddler :-DYour post reminds me of the awesome times I spent with my grandmother, oh Woolworth: a flashback in time!I miss her. Grammas are so very special, aren't they? It feels like I knew yours from your fond memories of her 🙂
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Girl, I am the queen of pidding! Both in the store, at home and in the bathroom. Love this post! It brings back memories of my Granny.<
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I love that picture of you!And yes, I love to piddle.
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My grandmother was a piddler too! Woolworth's (we took the bus) was her favorite place to piddle.
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I'm the piddler in my family!Isn't it funny how it's memories like that that mean the most to us?One of my favorite childhood memories was going to Newberry's (a drugstore) with my mom to eat lunch at the lunch counter and piddle around the store. 😉
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Cute post, Suz…. Of course, I piddle… I'm the world's greatest piddler… Where does my day go when I'm piddling around.NOW–I will say that I don't call peeing piddling… Never heard that. My mom always called it 'wee wee'…. And she called my hands, puddies…. \”Go and wash your puddies, Betsy.\” Where did she get that word??????? ha ha Cute post… Gotta run and do some more piddling..Hugs,Betsy
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PSwhatta lovely picture of you all!c
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i lerve to piddle at thrift stores. and i think it is very loving of you to go piddling in your beloved gramma's memory… i bet she'll be watching from heaven, yellin out things like \”oh my, suzie, look at that…. or pick that up jus for me suzie…\” [in my mind she always called you suzie and she was the only one you allowed to do that] ;)so shop till you drop dear friend or as maybe gramma would say… piddle in the middle, suzie….. c
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This was so funny. **I** was the piddler in our family growing up. I can still here my mother saying,\”Cassie, quit piddling around and eat your meal.\” or \”Quit piddling around and get to work.\” I was always told NOT to piddle around. hehe. Haven't really heard that term in years!!Thank you for remembering your Gram with us.
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There are times I love to piddle around while shopping. It's just so relaxing to look in little shops and what not. Other days I just wanna get it over with. No piddlin' allowed. lol
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Oh my Grandma is truly the Piddler in our family. Take that girl into an antique shop and we are lost for the day!
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i love this story! i loved piddling with my gramma, too. sometimes we would even piddle all the way down to cape cod. and that usually meant lunch at friendly's 🙂 i've not had too much time to piddle lately… but thanks for reminding me that i wanna. as for the other kind of piddling… well. that is another story in itself.
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i'm the shopping kinda piddler. i think this is my new favorite word 😉
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And, oh how I love the picture. You look like the girls.
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My cheeks are wet from crying.
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I used to go to Worlwoth's with my grandma too. Do you remember they used to have lunch counter in the back? I love when you write about your grandma.
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