Grandmeme
A year ago, two of Granny’s girlfriends joined her for a little birthday brunch.
How things can change in 365 days. One friend is now on lock down in assisted living. The other has passed away. But the African Violet I gave Granny is thriving and now three times the size it was.
Today, Granny is 91. The beginning of her tenth, and by all probability, her last decade.
Like the African Violet, she’s still here. She’s no bigger and I’d hardly say she’s thriving. But, she is surviving.
For her birthday, a meme in her honor:
50 Things About Granny
- She was born in 1917
- The U.S. entered World War I a week later.
- She was born in Atlanta, Ga.
- She was born into wealth.
- She was the third of three daughters.
- She had no brothers.
- She was a debutante.
- Her lavish coming out was during the Great Depression.
- Some time during college, she met my Grandaddy. He was not college educated.
- Granny was six years younger.
- She was first attracted to him because he was a good dancer.
- Her parents would not allow her to marry my Grandaddy because he was not of position or money and was a moonshiner.
- In 1938 she married him anyway.
- Her parents never spoke to her again.
- She remained friendly with her sisters until they died in the 80’s.
- She had been raised Methodist, but attended Baptist Church with Grandaddy.
- In 1939 she got her teaching certificate in Tennessee because she could not afford the private college she had been attending in Georgia.
- A year later, she lost her first child during birth.
- In 1941, she began teach high school English. The next few years many of her male students left for war after graduation. Several never returned.
- In 1945, she gave birth to her first son.
- In 1946, she and my Grandaddy bought the house we now live in. It was built in 1928.
- Some time before 1950, she miscarried a child.
- In 1950, she gave birth to her second son.
- She became unexpectedly pregnant a few years later, and in 1956, at the age of 39, gave birth to her first daughter and last child, my mother.
- She took the unpopular stance in support of integration of schools.
- Although she knew how to drive, she got her first license in th 60’s.
- Her middle child was killed in a car accident in 1968. He had just finished high school.
- Some time in the late 60’s, her oldest son was married.
- In 1969, she became a grandmother (my cousin)
- She began wearing wigs in the 1970’s.
- In 1971, she forbade my mother from marrying my father. My mother did it anyway.
- In 1972, she had a second grandchild (my brother).
- In 1975, her oldest son died in a work-related accident.
- That same year, her spirit was renewed with a third (and last) grandchild (ME!).
- In 1977, she retired from teaching.
- Around 1980, she began working part-time at the county library. She stayed there until 1993.
- In 1990, she lost her third child (my mother).
- Later that summer, she convinced my father that I should live with her and my Granddaddy until I finished high school. My brother had graduated that year.
- The first thing she did was replace the twin beds in the room that was to become mine with a full-size. It’s an antique, and I still sleep in it.
- She tried to teach me piano. I was bored by it and failed. I now regret it.
- She tried to teach me to dance. I was clumsy and shied away from it.
- She taught me how to cook.
- She taught me how to write.
- She lost my Grandaddy in 1998. That was the same year I moved back in (I had left after high school) to help take care of him.
- That was the last time she drove a car.
- She is 5′-2″
- Her gray hair was once brown.
- When she gets mad, she’s fearsome.
- She likes to watch Oprah and Larry King. (I hate them both.)
- She has out-lived everyone in her family except my brother and me.
I often wonder what granny is thinking about, sitting on the back porch or sitting in her chair. These days, she seems more and more confused or unsure. I guess when you’ve got 91 years stored away in your head, it’s not always easy to access and some of it it bound to get misfiled.
Whatever you’re thinking, Granny. I hope it’s making you happy. Especially today.
Happy Birthday!
March 31st, 2008 at 11:37 am
Happy Birthday to Granny, indeed ! Pound cake? Stories like this make me glad to be my family’s genealogist.
March 31st, 2008 at 11:42 am
What an inspiration! I loved my grandmothers too. You may have inspired a post for this summer, it would have been my grandmas 100th birthday. Beautiful sentiments, my good friend. Give her a big smooch for me, would you!
March 31st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
What a lovely post for a lovely lady. I hope she has a happy birthday indeed!
March 31st, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Hey guy love’s what you’re all about: Ganny and the attorney. Don’t stop that’s what’s great in life.
March 31st, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Tony, what is largest about you is your love. Happy Birthday to Granny. She is a lucky woman to have such a caring grandson, and you are a lucky man to have such a wonderful relationship with a great example of perseverance for so long. Let’s hope she’s healthy and lucid enough to have at leat a bit of an eleventh decade.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:21 pm
What a hell of a life! And I totally agree that she’s lucky to have you… but then the reverse is also true.
Happy Birthday Granny… Let’s hope she keeps on keeping on just like that African Violet
March 31st, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I loath Pope-rah. Almost as much as Vadge.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Happy Birthday to Granny!
It’s my granny that I miss most of anyone I’ve ever known. I can still picture our times sitting under the big oaks out back having a time of tales and ventures. I hope anyone that has a treasure trove of memories takes time to share and revel in them!
Love and hugs,
-C
March 31st, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I loved this post! Happy birthday, Granny! I was laughing at number 34. No, you’re not arrogant at all. LOL
March 31st, 2008 at 10:32 pm
13 and 31? Did you do that on purpose? But I’m thinking she’d be very pleased with your having met the attorney. I know we are all glad you did.
March 31st, 2008 at 10:35 pm
HB Ganny!..some things are unlucky in life, but your granny has been blessed with your love and you hers. KEEP WRITING.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:29 am
That was very sweet. I think it is an honor to wish somebody on her 91st birthday…….. I wish your granny many more years on her Birthday.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:10 am
Happy Belated Birthday Granny… I hope your dancing…
April 1st, 2008 at 8:05 am
Happy Birthday Granny! She knows how much you love her Tony, you can be sure of that.
April 1st, 2008 at 8:48 am
happy birthday nana!
April 1st, 2008 at 9:38 am
Tony,
Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you are both there for each other!
Jim
April 1st, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Thank you for sharing this, Tony. Your devotion to Granny is heartwarming and beautiful!
Happy Birthday, Granny!
April 1st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
You are a sweety for taking care of your grandma.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:46 pm
What a granny!
indeed, you have your sweetness, LT!
April 2nd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
This is one of the most moving tributes I have ever read. I hope if I reach the age of 91, that there will be someone caring for me with the same kind of love and tenderness that you show your beloved Granny. I am sure that her greatest happiness, for these past years, anyway, is you.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Tony, I wished, I could write like you and I hope your Granny had a very Happy Birthday and she is Blessed, with many more. I was raised by my Granny, my Mom and Dad were alive just very screwed up. I lost my Granny, when I was 17 and she was 77,luckily she was active until the end, she literally dropped dead of a heart attack, while making coffee. I’m 42 and still miss her very much, we had a relationship, I’m sure you can understand, she was my Grandmother, Mother and friend. I was an only child and lived in the woods, so other than school, we were each others only company, most of the time. I wish you and her all the best and hope ya’ll get to make many more wonderful memories together. Many of your posts have touched my heart but this one takes the pound cake.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Great post.
My grandmother died 15 years ago at 93. It’s amazing what the women from that time went through. That your granny’s parents never spoke to her again blows my mind. It also blows my mind that when my grandmother’s mother died, my grandmother’s father took off! Love comes back to them though.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Happy Belated Birthday, Granny!!! What else can I say that hasn’t already been expressed by your many friends & blog fans? You both are certainly blessed to have one another and don’t ever forget to treasure every moment you get to spend enriching each other’s lives.