Tuesday was the birthday of the U.S. Marines. It was also my Grandma's ninetieth birthday, and so I spent the day with her at her independent living apartment. We spent the morning cleaning out Grandma's linen closet. Anyone who knows Grandma knows she lives a spartan life, she's always cleaning out and getting rid of something, and her closets are already half empty as it is. So now, after yesterday's cleaning, her closet is pretty bare. But that's the way she likes it.
I ate lunch with Grandma in the dining room there, and sad to say either the food or the warm perfumed air(you know how elderly ladies often wear lots of perfume) gave me a terrible headache and upset stomach. Thankfully, elderly ladies also take naps, so I got to take one too. Nevertheless, I was very sick that night and I can promise you that I will never eat creamed beef chips with biscuits again. Yuck. It makes me feel sick just to type it here.
Grandma is an interesting lady. She grew up as an only child during the depression. She told me on Tuesday that when she was very young, around five or six, her mother would ask her to read to her while she was doing her ironing. I don't know many details about Grandma's life, but after a failed first marriage(which we never speak of), she married my Grandpa at age 28. They had a little girl, my Aunt, and then Grandpa was deployed to Korea during the Korean War. After he returned my Dad and his twin brother were born, and I'm sure they kept Grandma very busy after that. She's a independent, out-spoken lady, and even though she hasn't talked about hard times I know she's had her share. Now with her failing eyesight, we hope someday soon she will be able (and willing- at present she isn't) to move in and live with us. Anyway, I thought that Grandma, having reached the distinguished age of ninety, deserved to be memorialized online for all to see. Happy Birthday, Grandma, and many more!
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