My Grandmother Lives On

                                         

Grandma passed away a week before my 6^th Birthday.  For the oddest reason, I can see my sister and me on the floor in front of the TV.  My sister is on her knees and I am laying on my stomach my chin resting in my right hand.  My mom was in the kitchen setting in a chair, with her boyfriend behind her and she is crying. The easiest way to picture this is to think of a still picture in black and white picture frozen in time no movement.  That is what I see. 

So what do I remember?  It was when I saw her at the visitation her hand was over her heart. After seeing that, I was afraid so I slept for the longest time with my hands over my heart so I would not die.  Recently, I have been told different about how she was in the coffin.  I was told that they placed her hands was over her belly button.  The last thing I remember about her and her house was being told to pick out one item of hers.  I picked an angel bell, which I still have.

Enough of the sad memories.  There are some memories that are so much better and may bring a laugh out of you.  If not a laugh then a smile that you will try to hide.   Here are some more fun and odd memories that I have of my grandma with some guest appearances from my grandpa.

There are so many things people may not know about me.  Well just wait and I am sure by the end of it you will not want to know anymore or you will be too scared to ask.  I loved doing “gymnastics.”  What I mean is…. At that small age, I loved doing somersaults.  It did not mater where I was.  If I had my leotard and tights on I was doing somersaults.  Lets get real.  I was a ham and a half deep down in side.  I would do it in my grandparent’s house making sure that they would watch me.   I even did them when grandma would get her hair done.  More on that later and the trauma that followed.

When my sister and I spent the night at my grandparent’s house they always made sure that we had our favorite snacks on hand.  My sister got a bowl of green olives and I… Well I got a bowl of ice.  Yep.  Ice and I still love it today.

And here is where my Grandpa makes an appearance, along with his odd sense of humor.  Funny to him – not so funny to me.  I had a doll that you put water in the bottle and the doll would “drink” it.  So I would have to change it diaper.   So how many of you know what is coming?  My grandpa thought it would be funny to put peanut butter in the dolls diaper.  I was not amused by it.  Everyone else was. 

I have talked about how I loved doing somersaults and it did not matter where.  This certain day is one I will never forget.  The day I went with my grandma to get her hair cut.  I was doing “gymnastics” and grandma got into the chair, so the lady could trim her hair.  I had just finished a “perfect” somersault and I turned to make sure that she saw me when the person doing her hair…  Well… As a child have you ever been around someone who surprised you my removing their teeth.  This is worse.  She removed her hair.  Need less to say, I was horrified.  Forget scary movies.  This lady just took off my grandma’s hair and it did not even faze her.  Later on, I asked my mom how she lost her hair.

The family had a chest type freezer and it wouldn't freeze, so they had some one to come and fix it. They had to put a gas canister in it to make it cool. After the repairman left, grandma sat down beside the freezer to listen to the freezer. She heard it come on, and had just said, "I think it freezing ". Then there was a big explosion, and gas canister had exploded.   There were crystals of some kind in the canister and they came down and landed in grandma's hair and burn her scalp. She lost a lot hair that didn't grow back, so she started using hair pieces on the top of her head.

In that picture that I posted is of my grandmother, my grandpa, mom and my uncle Jim she isn't wearing a wig that is her own hair.

Sad part, at this moment those are the only memories I have of her, but those will keep her alive in my mind.