Happy Groundhogs Day
And it's my Nana's birthday!
She's no longer with us, but feel free to wish her a happy birthday anyway. She's listening. She was probably my most favorite person on the planet. I spent all my holiday vacations at Grandma's. (She didn't become Nana until Autumn was born.) She loved her grandchildren, her babes. She always wanted us to come over and always greeted us, "Hi Babe!"
Papa always wanted us to go home. After Christmas when we'd leave, he'd wave and say see you in 16 weeks (Easter) And he meant it! She and I would sit in the kitchen and watch Wheel of Fortune, back when the contestants still had to buy prizes with their money. We'd do crossword puzzles and play solitaire. We'd sit in the kitchen til we'd see Papa drive up the hill, coming home from work.
She loved to shop. We'd go to the mall, or Gemco (waaaaay before Costco) or on special occasions we'd go downtown in San Francisco and go shopping. She'd always get her hair done. She would roll it herself in between. Sometimes she'd even throw a scarf over the curlers to run down to the store. She had matching jackets, bags and keds. She always wore lipstick and those cool funky glasses. She loved those cat eyes.
When I was about 7, she and Papa wanted the family to all go to Disneyland together. My father being the A-hole he was wouldn't let us go. So two years later when my parents divorced, they took just me and my cousin Annie. That was the best trip EVER. We drove down, which was an adventure in itself. Every time we passed a big truck, she'd go "ooh ooh ooh ooh" worried we'd be in an accident or something. We went to Disneyland, the Queen Mary, Hearst Castle and a bunch of other crap. She couldn't really go on rides because of her heart, but she loved It's a Small World. I still go on it for her. My fondest memory is of her yelling at me every time she took the camera out. "Will you quit posing!" I just couldn't. I pretty much spent my childhood with a permanent TADA pose on my person at all times.
My Nana had several health problems during my life. The first when I was two and she had her first heart attack. They snuck me into the hospital to see her. Then when I was pregant with Autumn she was hospitalized. I remember visiting her and she had a tube down her throat and all she kept asking me was how was my baby. She lived for her family and I think her most precious gift was her first great grandbaby. She lived to see Autumn reach the age of two.
So here's a big ol happy birthday to ya babe! Love you, miss you, and I will see you on the flip side.
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