I'm sure NOT my Grandma!

[Guest guest]

With this new decade coming up in my age in a week...I've been rather

pensive. I so clearly remember my own grandma's at this age. Of course,

they are both long gone now. Sure miss the old gals...but thinking about

them makes me wonder about myself. I see absolutely NO resemblance to my

grannies! Did they feel so thoroughly " modern " in comparing themselves to

their grannies? Bet they did too!!

I just remember the more than ample figures...one of them well over 200 lbs

all her life...always in a starched cotton house dress, hose with roll up

garters, and funny shoes. Those shoes always weirded me out as a kid....was

I going to have to wear those when I became a granny? The short tight

perms...and of course the gray hair....what was that all about? And they

both had false teeth! Was that the rage of the day..or just poor dental

hygiene and getting them yanked as soon as possible for the nice store bought

ones? I remember the mainstays in cosmetics were cold cream...used to sit

and watch her dab it on her forehead, nose, cheeks and chin, then she would

turn and look cross-eyed at me to make me laugh. But that was her

ritual...the cold cream, everyday. Then the pancake make-up..and of course

on special occasions, the " rouge " and lipstick. Grannies never came out and

played with the kids. Never got on the floor with us. They cooked. And

sat. Thoroughly modern for their day? I guess...but I'll take my jeans and

sweaters...dye my hair...wear it long and straight...Do my make-up...go

rollerskating with my great-granddaughers and grandkids...wonder how they

will remember me? Probably that they hope they will never have to wear jeans

when they get old...haha!! What does this have to do with weightloss? Not a

whole lot, other than it has made me more reflective, I think, and looking

toward actually living and NOT being my own grandma...

Regards~

´¨¨)) -:¦:-

¸.·´ .·´¨¨))

((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- Jacque

-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/29/02 6:44:49 PM Central Standard Time,

jacquemil@... writes:

<< Grannies never came out and played with the kids. Never got on the floor

with us. They cooked. And sat. >>

------------------------------

And mine had no home. So she traveled amongst her 6 kids and me (the only

married grandchild at the time) and stayed a few weeks at a time with each

and " paid her way " by doing all the kinds of things that her kids didn't want

or know how to do: crocheted doilies, knitted afghans, darned socks, made

beds, sewed clothes (she even made her OWN patterns!), baked tons of cookies

and breads and pies, and washed up the supper dishes every single day. She

was bossy and nosy, interfering and curmudgeonly; and tough as NAILS, believe

you me--hardly a sympathetic bone in her body ( " Vell, hvaht is DAT to cry

about any-vay? don't be succha big baby " ). You gotta hear this with a

sing-song Norwegian accent, which her parakeet, by the way, could imitate to

a tee. That was FUNNY, to hear a bird with that accent!

She ruled her family with an iron hand. Prevented two marriages from taking

place bcuz she didn't approve of the matches (over my dead body!!) But she

was generous, and hard-working, and never expected anything for nothing. Had

a sense of humor of sorts, liked to tell an occasional off-color joke, of all

things. She had an attitude that nothing is impossible with God's help. She

was a widow for nearly 40 years (her husband was 25 yrs her senior), and

never once considered re-marriage. She scrubbed hospital floors in her 70's

and didn't take social security till she just couldn't get down on her knees

and scrub anymore. When she finally got an offer to live with her youngest

son, and accepted, he and his wife didn't let her do anything to help out

around the house (they thought they were being kind, letting her " rest " in

her old age) and so she just lost her raison d'etre. Not being useful

anymore, she just took to her bed and died within a few weeks. She was 93,

the same number as her weight. It was 1977 and I still don't know if I loved

her or feared her most. She could put me in tears with just a look or a word.

But your reminiscence about your grandma has brought back these memories of

my own (mother's mother). I don't actively miss her anymore, but I do

remember lots of incidents that bring a smile or a shake of the head.

Remembering is good. And while I don't want to be my own grandma either, I

think some of the values she clung to certainly live on in me. Got some of

the good ones as well as the not-so-attractive ones. But hey, that's genes,

y'know? Even some of the bad ones have stood me in good stead from time to

time when I needed to be bull-headed or determined or just not ABOUT to give

up......

Carol A

[Guest guest]

Ya know Carol, I'm sure I've seen your grandma coming out in you here and

there...LOL! I did forget to add that the good stuff my grey haired, tightly

permed, starched, funny-shoed granny taught me was some of the best things I

ever learned in life. She was where I went when I needed answers to lifes

daunting questions. We had a lot of things in common, especially when I grew

up...and she was widowed. We spent a lot of time together...and she remained

sharp witted and funny all the way to the end. She was a major

hypochondriac, and kept telling us that when she died, she was going to have

it put on her tombstone.. " I told you I was sick! " One day, I'd had enough of

that nonsense, and said: " Grandma...don't you realize...you are OLD enough to

die...you don't have to be sick! " She was 91 when she died...LOL. She

looked so surprised when I said that to her, but her sense of humor was

always there, and she got a good chuckle out of it. She knew I was on to

her. I do miss her. Ninety-one years just doesn't seem like many....the

closer I get to it the younger it is looking. My other grandma made it to

her 100th birthday. Strong old troupers they were...

Regards~

Jacque

> But your reminiscence about your grandma has brought back these memories of

> my own (mother's mother). I don't actively miss her anymore, but I do

> remember lots of incidents that bring a smile or a shake of the head.

> Remembering is good. And while I don't want to be my own grandma either, I

> think some of the values she clung to certainly live on in me. Got some of

> the good ones as well as the not-so-attractive ones. But hey, that's genes,

>

> y'know? Even some of the bad ones have stood me in good stead from time to

> time when I needed to be bull-headed or determined or just not ABOUT to

> give

> up......

>

> Carol A