Fond memories

I've found myself thinking about my grandma today (for no specific reason), and what an incredibly amazing woman she was. I'm always telling people that her favorite saying was "If you rest, you rust." Wiser words were never spoken and I can only hope that when I'm old and wrinkly that I'm even half as determined and full of life as she was when she passed away more than 15 years ago.

Some of my favorite memories are of bringing stray or wounded animals home with me and taking them to her to fix them up (mom and I lived right next door. It was like the best thing ever). She was a Registered Nurse during one of the wars (not sure which - she was old and I was young so at the time I thought it was probably one or both of the World Wars), so for me as a 6 or 7 year old that meant that she could fix anyone or anything that was sick. And all those animals (Mostly cats. There was one squirrel) would then hang around after she had done her medicinal magic (which usually consisted of a little H2O2 on a cotton ball to whatever ailed them (because that shiz cures EVERYTHING!) and a little TLC.) The best part is they would trail behind her when she walked down the street to a friend's house and wait for her in the yard until she came out. On days when I wanted MY cats to do the same thing (who, btw, absolutely LOVED her and only tolerated me), I would drag one of my 2-4 cats down the street on a leash hoping they would finally see that I was just as cool as she was. After a few years of that, I eventually gave up the hopes and dreams of having a harem of felines willingly following me everywhere like my grandmother and the Egyptians.

She would also get me ready for school every day. She would sing me awake and make me toasted PBJ sandwiches cut into quarters for breakfast EVERY morning. And then she would walk me to the bus stop (her harem stayed behind so as not to encourage me and my fragile psyche). She would wait with me and my friends until we were picked up for school, and then of course she would be there in the afternoon to pick me up.

Every. Day.

She was also the reason I made it through 10 years of piano lessons as a kid.

My grandma taught herself how to play the piano as a kid using her lunch money to buy sheet music. She was so good that she could play ANYTHING on the piano (or the organ) after listening to it just once (seriously. Anything) and I always insisted that she play something before and after I practiced (I always practiced at her house because I couldn't be trusted to do it at home. Hello? I was 7). I was mesmerized watching her fingers glide over the keys with the most amazing precision, just barely touching each one as she played. One of my favorites was this little gem...

I cry when I hear this song. I can see her at the piano and hear her singing the words (in her shaky old lady voice) and I think of how lucky I was to have her (living right next door!) for as long as I did.