Most children have memories of grandparents coming to visit and spoiling them rotten. I got the opportunity to not just spend a day or two with my Mamaw, but every day as my Mom went to work. A few days ago I was asked to think about my time with her and this is what I wanted to share.
MaMaw’s days started early. She would get up and fix breakfast for Papaw (Bacon, Eggs, and Toast) before he would start his milk route. She would clean up the dishes, go around the house and check that all appliances were “Off, Off, Off” and we would head off the Food World to buy groceries. If we were lucky we would get to see Papaw while he was there on his route. Usually somewhere in the middle of shopping I would announce that I needed to go potty. She understood the urgency of the situation after the time that I told her that I couldn’t hold it and I made a puddle under the shopping cart. Since I was such a good girl she would buy me a box of animal crackers and some Freshen-up gum. We would make it home just in time to catch “The Young and the Restless” and she just might get to see me dance like Nicki. Nicki was an exotic dancer on the show and when I was about three I told Mamaw that I could dance like Nicki. When Mamaw turned around I was taking off my shirt and dancing. You never think kids are paying attention until it bites you in the butt!
Next we would eat lunch while watching “By the Way” hoping that our phone would ring to let us know that we had won the jackpot. She would tell me that if she won the money she would buy me all the bubble gum that I wanted and I would tell her that if she wasn’t rich by the time that I grew up I would buy her a big blue house. The rest of the afternoon was filled with household chores like laundry (which I would talk to her through the vent while she was in the laundry room), snapping some of Mr. Widemann’s green beans, or sitting the floor playing Barbie’s. We would watch the rest of her soaps and some of my TV shows and she would fix me a snack bowl w/ goldfish cracker, marshmallows, raisins which she called nature’s candy, cheese, potato chips, and two Tollhouse soft batch chocolate chip cookies. She would start supper so that it would be ready for Papaw when he got home and drug me all over the floor since I was hanging on her leg like a monkey. She must have had legs of steel!
If my “I’m not budging” chant worked when my mom came to pick me up and I got to spend the night, we would watch the evening show “Dallas or Knots Landing”. After the show her and Papaw would sit up and work, although I still have no idea what they were doing. All I heard was “Check, Check, Check”. When it was time for bed she would sleep with me in the brass bed. She would snore all night which was somehow comforting to me. One time she stopped snoring for a minute and woke up to me right in her face. I said “Mamaw are you dead?” and she just laughed. The next morning would start the cycle all over again. If it was Saturday we would have to get up and out early for yard sales. We always had to beat Turley so he wouldn’t get all the good stuff. I never did put a face with Turley, but it always seemed so important to beat him there. When we would return she would work for the rest of the day cleaning everything that she had bought. Some of it was for her family and some of it was to sell at the flea market.
My Mamaw passed away Saturday, February 21, 2009. She had been battling Alzheimer’s for several years. She died while surrounded by her loving family including her husband of 62 years. What love and devotion he showed to her. I am so glad to have been blessed with quality time with my Mamaw and will thank God for the rest of my life for all the “days” that I got to spend with her.
I will post some precious photos in a day or two. They are on my other computer.
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MaMaw’s days started early. She would get up and fix breakfast for Papaw (Bacon, Eggs, and Toast) before he would start his milk route. She would clean up the dishes, go around the house and check that all appliances were “Off, Off, Off” and we would head off the Food World to buy groceries. If we were lucky we would get to see Papaw while he was there on his route. Usually somewhere in the middle of shopping I would announce that I needed to go potty. She understood the urgency of the situation after the time that I told her that I couldn’t hold it and I made a puddle under the shopping cart. Since I was such a good girl she would buy me a box of animal crackers and some Freshen-up gum. We would make it home just in time to catch “The Young and the Restless” and she just might get to see me dance like Nicki. Nicki was an exotic dancer on the show and when I was about three I told Mamaw that I could dance like Nicki. When Mamaw turned around I was taking off my shirt and dancing. You never think kids are paying attention until it bites you in the butt!
Next we would eat lunch while watching “By the Way” hoping that our phone would ring to let us know that we had won the jackpot. She would tell me that if she won the money she would buy me all the bubble gum that I wanted and I would tell her that if she wasn’t rich by the time that I grew up I would buy her a big blue house. The rest of the afternoon was filled with household chores like laundry (which I would talk to her through the vent while she was in the laundry room), snapping some of Mr. Widemann’s green beans, or sitting the floor playing Barbie’s. We would watch the rest of her soaps and some of my TV shows and she would fix me a snack bowl w/ goldfish cracker, marshmallows, raisins which she called nature’s candy, cheese, potato chips, and two Tollhouse soft batch chocolate chip cookies. She would start supper so that it would be ready for Papaw when he got home and drug me all over the floor since I was hanging on her leg like a monkey. She must have had legs of steel!
If my “I’m not budging” chant worked when my mom came to pick me up and I got to spend the night, we would watch the evening show “Dallas or Knots Landing”. After the show her and Papaw would sit up and work, although I still have no idea what they were doing. All I heard was “Check, Check, Check”. When it was time for bed she would sleep with me in the brass bed. She would snore all night which was somehow comforting to me. One time she stopped snoring for a minute and woke up to me right in her face. I said “Mamaw are you dead?” and she just laughed. The next morning would start the cycle all over again. If it was Saturday we would have to get up and out early for yard sales. We always had to beat Turley so he wouldn’t get all the good stuff. I never did put a face with Turley, but it always seemed so important to beat him there. When we would return she would work for the rest of the day cleaning everything that she had bought. Some of it was for her family and some of it was to sell at the flea market.
My Mamaw passed away Saturday, February 21, 2009. She had been battling Alzheimer’s for several years. She died while surrounded by her loving family including her husband of 62 years. What love and devotion he showed to her. I am so glad to have been blessed with quality time with my Mamaw and will thank God for the rest of my life for all the “days” that I got to spend with her.
I will post some precious photos in a day or two. They are on my other computer.
