Gram’s Status: WONDERFUL!
Mood: Peaceful
Pain Level: No complaints
Appetite: She ate 2 pieces of toast for breakfast and a half of a sandwich for lunch.
Mobility: She walked to the end of the driveway and back and has been sitting out on her porch a few hours each day.
Once the corn is about 3 inches tall I begin to dread winter. Phrases like “Before you know it the farmers will be plowing the fields and the snow will start to fall” escape my lips around June. I got this negative outlook and dread of winter from my mother; she has always said the same thing. I get depressed at the sheer thought of winter approaching. I know that fall has yet to begin, but winter seems to rush in so quickly. I’m not ready. The bitter cold, people all bundled up and rushing around where they need to go. It is defiantly the loneliest time of the year. You may not see your friends or neighbors for weeks because people don’t want to go out in the fringed temperature. I hate it scraping my car, itchy sweaters and that ache of being alone when the world is all covered in white.
The bright spot in my winter is the week I spend with my Grandma at Christmas. It is my favorite week of the year. I have been going to her house at Christmas time since I was 16. The time I have spent at her house has molded me into the person I am today.
A typical day when I am at her house starts with us waking at about 11am. We stagger out of bed and drink coffee and look out the window to watch and cringe at the geese landing on the frozen lake (it is absolutely painful to see them land and skid about 100 feet while feverishly flapping their wings to help them stop). At some point, we get cleaned up and dressed. Some days, we set up our canvases and paint in the basement. Every year, we paint something different, abstracts, still life or landscapes. I don’t always love the piece I create, but I do love the memories that come out of them. I love to watch Gram paint so slowly and carefully every stroke adding depth to her picture.
Other days, we will bake our holiday sweets. Grandma taught me how to bake during my weeks at her home. We typically make pies, fudge and hundreds of Christmas cookies. Even though I have her recipes, and have made them many times, my cookies and pies never taste as good as when she makes them. Her slow careful hand and attention to detail make her the best baker in our family. Unfortunately, this fabulous baking ability typically causes me to gain 5 pounds while staying at her house for the week. In the afternoon, we may take naps, or she will do her cryptaquote (word puzzle) or we will read our books. Sometimes, we will play Mexican train or a card game which Gram typically wins (she is far better at cards than I will ever be).
The evening is my favorite time of day with her. The house is dark except for her illuminated Christmas decorations. We sit in the living room and share stories of our lives while we drink my homemade hot chocolate. It always is so comfortable and cozy. Around midnight we finally relent and crawl into bed.
One year in particular, we were expecting a lot of snow the week that I left for her house. My parent’s were worried that I would get to her home and we would be stuck there. Everyone tried to talk me out of going but I could not stand the thought of my Gram alone on Christmas! I could imagine no one else I would rather be snowed in with than my Gram, so off I went. Despite the snow, I made it to her home and we made it back to my parent’s house for the holiday.
Two years ago, I went to her house the week after Christmas for New Year’s Eve. We made a feast with crab legs and champagne and watched the ball drop. On News Year’s Day, we painted and watched football and drank leftover champagne. It is still the best New Year’s I can remember.
Although it is only September, I have had the holidays on my mind today. I hope that Gram and I get a few days like the ones we share at Christmas. That special time just between the two of us holds so many memories for me. I hope we have the time to paint, eat and talk like we always have done. I am so lucky to have had 10 years of these memories, but I hope to make just a few more.
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