Grandma Ann

My loving, red-haired, Polish grandma completed her time on Earth yesterday afternoon. She taught me to like Jell-o with Cool-Whip on top, let Grandpa C and I eat pie for breakfast at their vacation home in AZ, taught me to make Gwumpkes for my family; she told me I was smart, she encouraged my long-delayed skill acquisition in knitting, and proudly wore the first item I managed to create--a purple scarf.

Until recently, she always remembered the great-grand kids' birthdays, tucking a few dollars into a card that she'd signed herself. Her declarations of, "Hey! That's great . . . and how!" let me know she was interested in my life and accomplishments.

When I think of Grandma and Grandpa (who is missing his wife of decades very much), I think of splashing in the lakes behind both of their homes, chasing geese at the first (and discovering Nancy Drew), playing shuffleboard at the second (and discovering a whole library nearby).

Grandma's square dancing costume intrigued me; I learned polka music and dance at my grandparents' home. They had a clock that chimed musically every 15 minutes, and swinging doors like a saloon off their kitchen (this was the first house). In their condo, the blanket I loved with the satin binding was still there, smelling of their closet--probably moth balls? But I loved the scent, because it was Grandma's house.

She was with my mom, sister, brother, and me the first time I saw the Pacific Ocean as a teenager; and she came to visit Buck and my little family in California when Caelan arrived many years later.

She loved my children, and I loved her. Amazing that I got to keep my Grandma past my 40th birthday! Here are a few pictures I had saved on my computer, I'm sure more memories will follow, but these are the ones that popped into my head first.