Grandma

It has been a rough month and a half. It is supposed to be a super fun month as I am finishing up everything to go to Mexico for two weeks to get married. I have been taking two step lessons, since I guess I dance like a drunk in a bar (To be fair that's how I learnt) In the last 6 weekends I have been on the road 4. For funerals for both my grandmothers. How fucked up is that? Both my grandmothers have passed in the last 3 weeks. Both were fairly sudden and it sucks. If you have read my autobiography blogs here, you would know I was very close with my maternal grandma. Below are some memories I have of her. I wrote them to say at her funeral. I didn't get half of them out. It was way to hard. I never knew how hard it would be to say them. So I guess for the dozen followers I have below are a few of my favorite memories of one of my grandmothers.(Oh as a side note a few people in this are named same as in my biography blogs. If you actually are interested you will have to go back and look at them, sorry)

I remember the treats. Every kid in Crystal Ridge knew her corner cubbard with the “lazy Susan”  had treat like cookies and fruit roll ups. The second drawer down on the island had chocolate bars and the fridge always had coke. Plus she always cut up meat cheese and crackers and I remember more than once her / grandpa saying they didn’t need to feed all of crystal park lunch, but they did. Ditch said he always loved Sunday mornings sitting in the kitchen cause there was always chocolate milk. That was just my snacks, she always had those IMO awful cherry blossom bars for herself and the hard chesssies. Hawkins or whatever.

On that, once I moved away, when I would come home and we had family Sundays there I always called ahead and said, it sure would be nice to have apple crisp... or blueberry / lemon pie and some how that was always what we got that weekend for dessert. I think it made my uncle mental and of course I rubbed it in his face.

Before her memory got too bad, one year all my family came down for thanksgiving that one year and she made TOO many pies, we ended up giving Frenchie the one she forgot sugar in. That makes my friends laugh. I had sent a ton of time bragging to Frenchie how good her pies were and I think he was excited to get a homemade one.

My mom has a bit of a temper sometimes. This one time some friends and I snuck out late at night from Ditchs house and tried to wake a girlfriend by throwing pebbles at her window. Seems it only woke her dad and he called the police. Well when I came home in the back of a cop car to moms, grandma took me out to great grandmas farm for a couple days! I think for my protection!

Another time, we must have been  in highschool we partied. I partied way too much and couldn’t stop getting sick to the point FG and DB got worried. They called her out to a house in Crystal ridge to come get me. She was worried then, but boy was she mad once I was feeling better. It justs makes me laugh my friends figured call his grandma if he is dying from drinking too much.

The music in her car, Alan Jackson it was the chatahoochie tape I believe and plain dirt fashion by Nitty gritty. Plus Nirvana which went in when I was in and she was giving me rides cause I was lazy at getting a car. (They sold a tempo and bought a grand am. (which is grandma if you rearrange the letters 😊) did they do that to help me out? I never thought about that before.) But anyways the tape had a Nirvana song which Kurt screams Grandma take me home she didn’t hear it right. She thought it said grandma says no. Which she would sing trying to match Kurts screaming.

She bought me my first Guns N Roses CD. I paid but the store wouldn’t sell to me cause it said explicit content. She bought it for me but that one wasn’t for her car. Cause it couldn’t be much of music if it came with a warning like that she said. 

Her garden, I don’t even know what to say here but peas stick out and the little strawberry plants I am pretty sure were for my benefit.

Camping with them. Grandpa loaded the bikes and we would ride around the places we stayed. That was all 3 of us but they did it to keep an only child entertained. Playing Kanasta every night for an hour or two you know how long it takes and then her rolling smokes. The tap, tap sound as she finished each one. The routine never changed. They both came to the beach everyday and watched me walk out to fish in Slave. She didn’t like going in the water much but would walk out to her knees.

I remember another time coming home stinking drunk. Literally stinking cause I didn’t have keys so Ditch and I had to ring the doorbell. I think I still even had a cup of whiskey in my hand and she was mad as hell, I remember saying it was my new cologne when she asked what smelled. We were teens I thought I was smart but she was pretty grumpy with me the next day.  I remember thinking how clever I was then and her epic glare. I never got yelled at but I got the point......

You would have to check with grandpa but I never needed a hockey stick there. We played street hockey all the time but not once did I ever need a stick and now that I buy my own I realize wow..... Same with GI Joe, I seemed to never run out of them. And I always had way more than enough to play out all the little stories I dreamt up. 

Her being a starfish! If she spread out she was still “tougher” than me or my brothers even as we got older. And still was convinced she would beat me in a foot race into my 20s hell maybe even 30s. One would never know she was maybe 5 feet tall, she sure thought she was 10 feet.

Books I think is both of mom and her. I know mom gave me lots when I was little like childcraft? (was that the kids encyclopida? I saw one in Ikea a few weeks ago made me smile) Those sesame street ones, doc Suess. She gave me those murder cases she liked to read when we were camping and I still buy tons of books. So being well read I guess I should thank both mom and grandma!

Her unwritten rule book that we all teased her about! She always said things should be a certain way, when we asked why she would just answer because. So we believed she had a rule book somewhere. We just didn't know where.

Ice cream Sundaes. I think I only had 1 maybe two in the tub and likely I was sick but EVERY night I stayed there I got one with sprinkles.  Lucky I had good metabolism or I woulda been a fat kid the way she fed me. Once I was older it would be nachos with cheese melted on them. Maybe a side of sour cream. And it is true like comedians say when I went there after I moved she always had to make a snack before I went home. Usually it was still meat cheese and crackers. Now I only eat sprinkle donuts. I have the girls at my worked trained lol, when donuts get brought one of them makes sure to bring me a sprinkle donut.

Her and Kato, I mean I remember Jasper and the cats she was good to but I clearly remember our last visit she was just so happy to pet him and wanted to get him treats. She smiled that whole time.

Her saying just sitting. I mean a few weeks ago it made me sad cause it showed what was happening but I would give anything to hear those words again. Just sitting I thinking will be one of my strongest memories of her. A little background is as her alzheimers and dementia got worse she started to not know who she was speaking to on the phone. Or couldn't remember what she had done that day, so when I would call and ask how she was and stuff she always replied with Just Sitting, for the last year or so. I now have a love hate relationship with that phrase.

The time TCM and I went to the Corral, we came in at about 2 and snuck into the basement. Then at like 3 I told TCM stay downstairs I think someone is breaking in and I went upstairs to do something about it but it was just grandparents coming in from a dance. All the years I tried to sneak into their house and now they were trying to sneak in lol

Her walking around the house! For a little lady she was not quiet lol

$5 allowance from them. I don’t know that I even had to do anything for it except visit! I think it was basically money to go to the Shell station with. I am beginning to think I might have been spoiled.

Art Travis, I don’t know where we were camping but the campground guys name was Art Travis. I think both grandpa and grandma kept telling me he was Randy Travis’ dad.

Joe! I almost forgot but him even getting a place set her table! I know she would never have done it for her own children but I had an imaginary friend she would set a place at the table for. 

Not shaving! Sometimes it was cause I was lazy but it was always fun for me to make her mental. 

Thats just a small glimpse into the memories I have and more flood back almost daily. I want to do a better blog on those awful diseases. But all I can say is it sucks when they strike. When you can see the person you loved and knew and they can't remember you. It is heart breaking and I wouldn't wish it on anyone