Grandma

Just hours after I became a grandmother, my own grandmother passed away.  She had had a stroke 17 years ago and spent the rest of her life paralyzed in a wheelchair.  Most of my fond memories come from when I was a little girl-back when she was an Avon lady!  Having an Avon lady for a grandma is super fun, let me tell you!  I had all sorts of lipstick samples and lots of pretty jewelry and perfume bottles by the time she retired *smile*  I'm pretty sure it was my grandma that finally convinced my mom to let me get my ears pierced in 3rd grade.  She was so glamorous-I'm pretty sure that is where Fiona got her personality.

My grandma used to have most of the family functions at her house; the basement was the greatest place to hang out.  When we were there, we grand kids (only five of us at that time) could help ourselves to the pop in the fridge in the basement.  Consequently, we grand kids also spent a lot of time admiring her magazine rack, fluffy bath math, and blue toilet bowl water *wink*  She also had this amazing candy dispenser that held Red Hots-you had to carefully pull the spoon out so it wouldn't pull out all the way and spill the candy all over the floor!  AND the sink held the most amazingly HUGE spiders that would crawl out at night and scare us to DEATH!

The summer before I started high school, my grandma took my mom, my sister, and me on a road trip that covered Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota.  While there we visited family, attended my grandma's high school reunion, and saw lots of fun things.  Being 14 years old and stuck in the car with my mom and grandma for two weeks was awful.  But I have fond memories of her trying to discipline me when I kicked my sister under the table (it's funny now, but I was pretty mad then), going with me to chase down wild burros in Cripple Creek, and my all time favorite-stopping on the side of the road to pick up a roadkill rattlesnake:

Tracey and I look like dorks (it was 1990-the height of matching your socks to your scrunchy), but Grandma is awesome. 

When she had her first stroke and needed full time care, my mom and her siblings had to divide her possessions and sell the leftovers to help pay the bills.  It was a sad time.  It was fortunate for me that I was heading off to college at the same time, so I ended up with her kitchen set.  Every day for the last 17 years, I have used her utensils and pots and pans.  My favorite oatmeal pot was hers.  So in this way I will always have a piece of Grandma in my life :)