List 43 memories of my grandmother

Soda pop and buttermilk. 17 seconds ago

There was a big difference between what we drank at each grandmother’s house. Soda pop was something that my mother rarely bought,(mainly for budget reasons). At Grandma Rose’s house she always had an ample supply of 7-Up. I remember sitting patiently on my chair in her kitchen getting this rare treat, a small, jelly-glass size of 7-up. I can still remember the tartness of the drink, and the bubbles tickling my nose. There was never any ice, just ice-cold, from the fridge. I don’t think 7-Up tastes the same, but whenever I see the old, green glass bottles, always individual size, I remember drinking 7-Up at Grandma Rose’s house.
Grandma Irene, on the other hand, was the root beer lady, and not any old root beer, but homemade. I don’t remember drinking anything at her house when she lived in San Francisco, except buttermilk, which my grandfather loved and I acquired a taste for because of him. Again it was in those little glass jars that cheese spreads still come in.
When I was around 9 they moved to the country, in a little town near Occidental, CA, off of Highway 101. The largest close town was Santa Rosa. They bought a place with acres of grape vines, and some apple trees. It was a lot farther away, at least a 2 hour drive and we usually stayed the weekend. In the summer time, Grandma Irene would make homemade root beer, with yeast. Anticipating our visit, she would make it a few days before we got there. When we arrived it would be in the basement, wrapped in newspaper, and we would ask to please taste and see if it was ready. Although not fermented, root beer made with yeast has an unusual taste, not like any other soda. Friends who came with us would think that they were drinking something they shouldn’t be. It just made it even more fun. This time it was served with ice, because we never knew when the root beer would actually be ready. The longer it sat on its sides, in the warm basement, the better. Warm root beer in old Cragmont bottles, poured over a jelly glass of ice. What could be more impressive to friends, except maybe for her Japanese, up-to-the-chin bath tub, but that’s another story.

Mama was not a superstitious woman but she did have one rule she lived by, her Christmas tree had to be completely down by the time the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve otherwise she was convinced the next year was going to be filled with doom & gloom. I challenged her rule one year and left my tree up because I was hosting a New Years Eve party. Well lo & behold I experienced one of the worst years of my life losing several family members, pets, jobs etc. Ever since that year from hell I now abide by Mama’s rule and get my tree down & out of the house. This year was no exception even though we were in a pinch having came in from a roadtrip. Two trees came down last night, lots of fun was had by all and we made the deadline before the clock struck midnight. Happy New Year!

I have fond memories of both my grandmas and the impact they made on my life. In those days we always called them by their last names. My father’s mother was Grandma Romick and my mother’s Grandma Weeks. I would never have my grandchildren be that formal. Besides Grandma Schultz, my husband’s mother, was a tired little bitty, who always wore closely cut hair, mumus, and corrective shoes. If that was who I was right now, close to the age I remember her, I could not stand myself. So, I am Grandma Debbie. In that spirit I will refer to my grandmothers by their names, Rose and Irene.

has really sent memories of my Grandmother flooding back and I don’t know why. Mama passed away three years ago on January 7th, maybe it took me time to accept the loss of her in my life, maybe it took me time to accept & forgive the hurtful things she did to my Mom & me the last couple of years of her life.
Mama was a big impact the first four years of my life, she was one of my three Mama’s and I loved her deeply that is why her actions at the end of her life confused me and devastated my Mom. She was a simple woman but complicated, she liked control which she could never achieve over myself or my Mom. My Aunt on the other hand, recently confessed to low self esteem and unhappiness over what her life could have been had Mama not controlled it. I didn’t know any of the stuff that she had endured under Mama’s guiding hand, but once she confessed, my wacky Aunt became clearer….I understood why she did alot of the stuff that made no sense whatsoever.
I don’t fault my Aunt, she was unlucky to have a personality that Mama could control. I hate that my Grandmother did that to her, although I’m sure that my grandmother probably didn’t even realize what she was doing, it was just normal.
This holiday season has finally unlocked the secrets of the relationship between my Aunt & my Grandmother, and while I am not happy, at least I understand both women more than ever!

probably rolling over in her grave tonight….they cancelled her favorite soap “As The World Turns” today. She watched this soap from the day it was introduced to TV land over 50 years ago. She made sure all her bosses knew that she took lunch and went home whenever “ATWT” hit the air. I never followed this soap, but I do know that my aunt or mother had her lunch ready upon arrival and all had to be silent in the house as Mama watched. (For some odd reason “Julie” was the persona to be reckoned with and all that was talked about during my very young years.) As the years went on and I headed off to college and came to visit Mama, she relented and went off with me exploring, but she always came home and immediately hit the phone to call her girlfriends to find out what she had missed on “As The World Turns.”
I think I’ll watch the last episode to find out who & what happened to “Julie” for Mama.

Anytime I had the slightest sniffle or even a light cough, Mama would wipe Vick’s Vapor Rub all over my chest. She would then pull out her iron, set it on the hottest setting and iron a washcloth til it was steamy. With safety pins she would pin that to my nightgown over my chest and snuggle me under the sheets. During the night she would come in and replace that cloth with a new steamy washcloth almost every hour. Back then I hated the whole procedure….it was greasy and stinky but right now being sick with the flu…what I wouldn’t give to have her here lovingly nursing me like only she could.

For many, many years Mama had desired a mink coat of her very own….something that all her girlfriends owned but she didn’t. So one year for Christmas my parents gave her a mink coat. She was so proud of that thing that she wore it every Sunday to church and any special occasion she was invited too. It was comical seeing her strut into church on a 100 degree plus summer Sunday morning, sweat dripping down her face. She finally had her coat and hot, humid summers were not going to deter her from wearing it.

If Mama knew her picture was being taken her left eyebrow would swing up to an immediate arch. If we were able to catch her unaware while snapping a shot, her brow was always relaxed.

One summer, my parents decided to take my grandmother to the one place she had always wanted to see…the wild, wild west. So five of us loaded into the family station wagon and off we went on our two week western adventure. My parents were pretty cheap and always seemed to find the scuzziest, dirtiest and least expensive moteis to spend the night at. The worst one though was in Dodge City. Upon walking in the door Mama Brown immediately stripped the bed and got blankets and pillows out of the car and proceeded to remake the bed. The fun part came at bath time though….deeming the bathroom discusting, Mama made my little brother and I shower in our socks and shoes. That was the one and only time I’ve ever done that and it was my favorite memory of the whole trip.

Mama’s house was always abuzz on B12 shot days. I was never surprised to walk into the kitchen after sleeping in to find women with their pants dropped to their ankles, butts facing Mama receiving the rejuvenating/energizing/youthful B12 shot. They never paid but always brought a booty of fresh produce, meat & dairy from their farms. These women relished these shots & were simply giddy to receive them from the good nurse…my Mama Brown.

On a side note,I have never received a B12 shot.