Monthly Archives: September 2014

Grandma

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Mountain viewI was not my grandmother D’s favorite grandchild. How did I know this? She told me. I also had the satisfaction of knowing I was not her least favorite grandchild. That was Melissa…grandma just didn’t like her. By today’s standards this is horrifying …we would never bruise a child’s ego by telling them where they stood in the “like” lineup of grandchildren.

I loved to visit my grandmother though it was difficult. I would ride the Greyhound bus (queasy all the way… I was prone to motion sickness) from Saginaw to Flint. I walked from the bus station to my grandmother’s upstairs apartment on Mary Street. She would make me fried potatoes and iced tea and we would sleep together in her big feather bed after she told me stories.

My other grandmother,Grandma P, was not a favorite until I was older. She was brusque and said exactly what she thought I was hurt by her honesty..she thought my dad should get a job and take care of his family instead of sending us to her house. Makes sense to me now, especially since three extra people in a cramped apartment is beyond the call of duty. Even though I agreed with the basic truth of her statement I didn’t like anyone saying anything negative about my dad.

Grandma P loved Gene Autry she had a crush on him her entire life. At the age of ninety she felt that it was time for her to meet her idol in person. She asked me to fly with her to Gene Autry’s Palm Springs Hotel so that she would have an opportunity to meet with him in person. I tried to explain to her that just because Gene Autry had a hotel he would not necessarily be there for meeting with his fans. She seemed to understand but was undeterred.

We spent three days at the hotel and she explained to all of the waitresses and other hotel staff that her mission was to meet Mr. Autry. They would smile and say, “Well, sometimes he does stop by.” I would roll my eyes, sure that they were humoring her. Our breakfast on Sunday morning was the beginning of our last day there. One of our waitresses stopped by and whispered in Grandma’s ear, “you may get your chance to meet Mr. Autry today, his wife is sitting at a table with Donald O’Conner. As Grandma was thanking her I saw Gene Autry striding through the restaurant wearing a white hat and cowboy boots. I pointed him out to my grandmother and said , “there he is grandma..do you still want to meet him?” She said, “I’ve got too!” and pushing her walker firmly ahead of her stood directly in front of Gene Autry and stated, ” I’ve traveled two thousand miles to see you!”

The picture I took of them together was placed on the front page of the Piggott, Arkansas, newspaper. My grandmother was thrilled and was already planning her next adventure. I mentioned to her that perhaps at ninety two she should maybe be thinking of going somewhere a bit closer than Hawaii..her answer to me, “Gloria, I can die anywhere!”

Here Kitty, Kitty

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DSC_5783It was a Christmas party. The red covered buffet table was spread with an assortment of my food specialities. Directly in the center of the table was a large, expensive, Honey Baked Ham. As I took one last satisfied glance before calling my guests in to eat I saw Lucky, my fluffy, grey cat at the time throughly enjoying the ham. In a matter of two minutes someone had inadvertently let the cat in and Lucky had managed to find the best food in the house.

I never tell people that I have five cats. Old ladies always have cats and that’s one stereotype that I try not to be obvious about. Sometimes people look at me questioningly when I place five dozen cans of Fancy Feast,  a huge bag of Kit and Kaboodle and several cans of cheap tuna on the counter. Mostly, I ignore them.

Did you ever notice the difference in pet food customers? Dog owners walk directly to their chosen brand of dry dog food throw it into the shopping cart and are on their way. Cat owners ponder. They walk slowly up and down the supermarket aisle and you can almost hear their thought processes. ” Did Fluffy like tender liver and chicken or was that the one I had to throw away?”

Yes, I have five cats but not one of them by choice. Doesn’t that make me less weird? Patches was pulled from a neighbors garage, on her way to the humane society. Smudge was the only live kitten among several dead ones in the middle of a dark country road. My husband stopped, opened the door of his truck, and Smudge jumped in and settled immediately on his lap. MoJo, no bigger than a Coke can, mewing pitifully in a store parking lot one bitterly cold winter’s night. By now you’ve gotten the idea, my husband and I have soft hearts and thus five cats.

I know these are evil thoughts but I never thought all of the cats would survive. They are allowed to go outdoors and we live in the country. All animal experts say that this is not the best lifestyle for cats, but, all of my cats are thriving. They look both ways before crossing the road and run very fast when they do it. Their tree climbing skills are excellent and they always come down no matter how high they go.

Most of the cats have used a few of their nine lives and my job is to keep them from using that last one. Patches took a ride in a construction trailer to a town an hour away from our home and had the good sense to wait for us to come and rescue her. Both Smudge and MoJo were locked in vehicles for several hours before being released. They have been found in closets, hampers, and on the tops of cupboards. I think I have too many cats but I pay the occasional three hundred dollar vet bill to make sure they survive.

They assume that anyone that comes to our house loves them and would love to have them on their lap. They often wait patiently for their turn at lap sitting and if all are agreeable two or three of them will share the same lap. I hate what they do to my furniture, clothing, and life. I complain often, but when they are not around I look for them and worry about them.There is something very comforting about having a warm, purring body close by. Although I did not plan or want so many cats they are a part of my life and I am a part of theirs.