Birthday Cake

There is hope for the boy yet.  Knowing that Christa is a huge Star Trek fan, her boyfriend bought her this cake.   Happy Birthday Christa.

Any Day Now (would be fine)

Christa and her puppies

Happy Birthday Grandma

August 24, 2009

My grandma would have been 100 years old today.  She passed away in November of 2003 so she was 94 then; not driving anymore but she was living on her own until the day she died.  Very active in her church, she taught Sunday School to preschoolers until she was in her late 80's.  She worked in the church boutique, volunteered for the senior citizen food bank, and was always, always working on some crafty project.  Until the last week before she died (and was in the hospital) she would get up early, write in her journal, and even though she was totally a packrat she was very methodical in her daily life. 

I remember visiting her once and needing to use her iron for something (I think we were going to my uncle's wedding).  Her apartment was small, so she had that iron in a *very* specific place, along with the specific flat surface and covering to use as an ironing board.  When I finished, she watched to make sure I put everything back exactly as she had it.  I'm sure that iron had been in that spot from the day she moved in, and it was there when my dad cleaned out her apartment after she died. 

When my grandma died, I asked for and was lucky enough to get her journals.  The earliest ones were dated in the 1920's and they continued to 2003.  Through traumatic world events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the assassination of President Kennedy to the space shuttle accidents, and pivotal personal events such as the births of her grandchildren (and having to wait for a telegram to find out about it!) and the death of my grandpa, I read my grandma's thoughts.  I read of her wishing her grandchildren would write or call more often, and of how much joy it brought her when someone would take time to visit.

Growing up we visited her usually when we were moving from one Air Force base to another.  I don't have a ton of memories from those years, but the ones I do have are vivid.  The house by the lake with mosquitos the size of hummingbirds and the black salamanders that congregated at the outside basement door (where the wringer washer was).  A dollhouse my grandpa was working on in that basement - for years and years it seemed.  The attic that had the smallest and steepest steps to climb that always made me nervous (which is probably where my life-long trepidation about climbing stairs started!). 

And crocheting.  My grandma taught me to crochet during one of those moving-across-the-country visits and I remember her unending patience.  And every time I would see her from then on, we would spend time crocheting and comparing ideas about making clothes for my Tammy doll (not Barbie, I was a Tammy girl).  And she would tell me stories about my dad when he was little - the things he and his 2 brothers got into.  And I was amazed that my DAD had done something as ornery as putting a dead mouse on his mom's pillow!

Years later I would take my daughters to visit and while rocking my youngest in the next room I heard my grandma sharing some of those stories with 11 year old Christa.  I tried to visit whenever I could with the girls and later, while working a job that sent me on business trips across the country I would route my flights so that I could visit for an hour or a day.  She was still the same grandma the last time I saw her as she was when I was growing up - just a little shorter.  :-)

So today Grandma, on your 100th birthday, I just want to tell you that I miss you and I can't wait to see you again.  We'll find a comfortable, private place and we'll spend some time crocheting.  I'll tell you about my grandchildren and we'll laugh at the things those little boys do.  Just like the stories you used to tell me about my dad.

I love you Grandma.

You've Got Mail!

Aiden is getting big enough now that he will sometimes ask his mom if he can call me - and then he actually does talk to me.  I'll admit I can't always understand what he's saying in his little rapid-fire way, but saying "Wow!" when there is a pause usually keeps him happy (and gives him the impetus to keep going).  :-)

But yesterday I got my first letter from my oldest grandson.  Well, not *exactly* a letter, but it was something he made and it came to me in an envelope so I immediately put it on my refrigerator:

I love being a grandma...:-D