Today's Ramblings

I talked with my grandmother over the holidays.  She is such a joy to me.  96 years young and one of the people I love most in this world.  She has taught me so much and continues to do so. These days she doesn't teach me things physically but still reaches into my mind and teaches me other things. Little things when she says them but huge in their importance. 

She and my granddad practically raised me and so I am closer than some folks are with their grandparents.  My grandfather passed away a few years ago and now she lives alone.  My dad comes over daily, right after lunch (she still calls it dinner).  She always makes a pot of coffee and they will sit for awhile. Sometimes they talk and other times they just sit, silently sipping coffee. After a couple of cups  Dad will mutter something about getting back to the house and he will head home.

  Gran doesn't get out much these days.  She gave up driving a couple of years after my grandfather died.  Said she was starting to scare herself and was sure if she was doing that... then others were bound to be scared of her!!   My aunt stops by every week and they head out to the local Wally World to do a little grocery shopping. She says it's mainly to get out of the house. The last time I talked to her she had picked up the stuff to make a coconut cake.  I remember those cakes. She used to make them for my granddad.  He just loved them.  These days a cake will last my grandmother quite awhile.  She still worries about getting fat so she eats smaller pieces and forces cake on my Dad to go with his daily coffee. 


She is starting to get hard of hearing. Phone conversations are getting harder for both of us.  I holler and she pretends to understand some of the things I'm saying.  I know that really bothers her but it doesn't bother her nearly as much as loosing her eyesight.  It is going slowly but it IS going.  She is a feisty lady and is fiercely independent.   She still gets along fine but is worried that her eyesight will become the reason she has to find other living arrangements.  I hope that never happens.  Anyway, she can't do many of the things she used to since her eyes have gotten so bad. 

She still gets out in the yard and tends to her flowers.  She still mows the yard  on her riding mower.  The garden is long gone. That was my grandfathers domain. Her's was the canning, cooking and freezing. That was a long time ago and something she used to enjoy. When I learned to can, she was proud that one of her grandkids understood the value of having food put away. She doesn't really know what a "prepper" is, but she does know the importance of being prepared.  "Things may get tough", she says, "And you will be ok if you have groceries in the house." 


One of the things that she misses alot is crocheting.  Her eyes have just gotten to bad to see the stitches anymore. She used to crochet all the time.  There were always at least one or two projects that she was working on at any given time.  She said it gave her hands something do to while her mind was racing around.
  She tried to teach me to crochet many times over the years,  but I never could seem to sit still long enough to actually learn more than a couple of simple stitches. 
So when I first told her that Mrs M was teaching me to knit, she was so excited. And even more excited when I told her I had made a hat and a scarf.  Woo Hoo  I have actually finished a couple of projects!!  When I first started learning to knit I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not.  Now I am pleased to say that I really enjoy it. My grandmother approves!
                        ~~~ Hey I'm Just Sayin ... ~~~