Thursday Thirteen

Since March is National Women's History Month, I thought I'd write 13 things about one of the women who had a big influence in my life, my maternal grandmother.

1. Grandma took care of loads of children. She had six of her own, and I think she kept almost every grandchild at some point.

2. Almost every day, Grandma talked to someone named "Mama Fore" around 2 p.m. They would talk for an hour. If we were staying at Grandma's, we were not to interrupt her during her talks with Mama Fore unless we were bleeding, and even then we'd better be gushing blood.

3. Grandma made macaroni and cheese that I cannot replicate. It was hard and crusty, for one thing. I have no idea what she used to make it, and I'm not even sure I liked it, but it seemed to be a staple for the evening meal.

4. On Fridays, Grandma would walk up to her sister's house to do her hair. Aunt Neva lived about three blocks from Grandma, but across a four-lane highway. Grandma usually made us walk when we went up there with her, but sometimes she let us ride our bicycles after we aged a bit.

5. Grandma had a big rag bag in the bottom of a closet in the hallway. We would pull sheets and things out of there to make capes or I'd wrap dolls in them. We were supposed to put them back. Generally, I think I did. I'm sure I forgot sometimes.

6. If you were sad or hurting, Grandma would scoop you up and hold you tightly and sit in her rocking chair. She'd sing, "Daisy, Daisy" to you, rocking fiercely, until you calmed down. I watched her do this with all of the children. It usually worked.

7. Grandma only went to school through the fourth grade. She worked at the Oscar Mayer factory before she married. She never learned to drive a car, though. After my grandfather passed away, this became problematic because she still had two young boys at home. My mother or my aunt or one of my older uncles would take her to the grocery store. I remember Mom tried to talk her into driving, but Grandma would have no part of it. Neither of her sisters ever learned to drive, either. I wonder why?

8. When I was 15, I went to the prom. I had my date drive all the way to Salem so I could show my grandmother my prom dress. She called my mother after I left and my mom said she cried because I thought to do that. (I was the oldest grandchild, by the way.)

9. As I aged, and after it was no longer long distance to call my grandmother, I would call her and it didn't seem to matter what time of day it was, she always had time to talk, even if she was watching my cousins. I miss those conversations, even if all we did was talk about mundane things.

10. Grandma looked for the first robin every year; she said it was the herald of spring. I don't think she liked winter much.

11. After we were a little older, when Grandma kept my brother and me during the summer when school was out, sometimes we'd walk up to Salem. It was about a mile and a half walk. We'd go to downtown and use whatever money we'd saved to buy balsam airplanes, paddle balls, or models, or whatever else we could find. Then, before we walked back home, Grandma would take us to Brooks Byrd Pharmacy and buy us all snow cones. I always had the blue one.

12. Grandma hung out the laundry on the line more than she used the dryer. She preferred the fresh smell of the air to the dryer.

13. She grew lovely peonies in the side yard. They were beautiful.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 747th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.