That's what my friends call Grandma Lorraine. She earned her nickname for her particular love for martinis--not the trendy vodka 'tinis of my generation, but the old school gin and vermouth martinis. Served in a stem glass. And garnished with olives. Wait staff who got it wrong got it sent back.She expected a martini at 4pm (cocktail hour), and if you let her have more than one, you'd better stay out of her way. I don't think I ever saw her drunk, but I've seen her get feisty and belligerent about the issues she cared about (she's a fierce defender of liberal politics and Israel).
Grandma Lorraine turns 88 today, but it's looking like this will be her last birthday. She's dying of cancer and has been in and out of hospice care this week.
Growing up, I celebrated most of my birthdays with Grandma L. Our birthdays are only two days apart, and we spent a lot of summers visiting relatives in Omaha. Birthdays with Grandma Lorraine meant dressing up for a restaurant dinner (usually in an over-cooled Italian restaurant with a salad bar) and a shared cake. The parking lots were always blisteringly hot.
I know she's ready to check out, but I can't quite get my head wrapped around the fact that Grandma likely won't meet her latest great-grandchildren. But like the brown cigarettes she used to smoke (were they Mores?), she's forever burned into my memory. And I'll share those memories with my children.
She drove tank-like American cars (although her last car was a Toyota). She favored leisurewear, clip-on earrings and chunky necklaces. Her homes were decorated with original art, which ranged from strikingly contemporary to pop-art to clown sculptures. For many years she rode motorcycles with her husband, my Grandpa Bob. She campaigned for Governor McCarthy and spoke out against the Vietnam war. When Grandpa was dying from prostate cancer, she shocked the preteen me by telling me now much she missed their "very active sex life." After he passed away, she had boyfriends, no easy feat when the women outnumber the men 10 to 1.
She didn't just play bridge, she won at bridge. She kept her brain engaged with crossword puzzles and Sudoku. She was into yoga long before it was trendy, and I doing headstands on beach towels next to her king size waterbed.
Grandma Lorraine wasn't a milk and cookies grandma. In fact, I never liked her cooking. But I have many fond memories of playing cards with her or letting her give me a manicure (she had an enormous toolkit of polishes, files, cuticle potions and lotions).
Happy Birthday, Grandma. And cheers!
8 comments:
What wonderful memories! She sounds very much like my grandmother with her feistiness, chunky necklaces, and clip-on earrings. Thanks for reminding me of my past loved ones as you prepare to say goodbye to yours. It's never easy, especially knowing that she probably won't meet the newest family member. However, you can always find comfort in knowing that you can share your many memories of her with the kids and that she will be with you every step of the way in that delivery room probably telling you to stop your whining and "push!"
Nicely written, Alma. Do you remember when you, me, Ann and Eleanor all plotted to get grandma to quit smoking by stealing her cigarettes and putting messages in with them and so forth? It worked :-)
GREAT job Alma. Brought me to tears!
I'm sure Josh feels like I do that we had too short of a time with her. I remember last time in Omaha that everyone was sick of her stories..but I had never heard them. Then she pulled Mike and aside and wanted to tell us the whole story of Jim's conception--which apparently she's never told before!
She's quite the woman and the matriarch of a great group of people and truly a woman of valor.
Beautifully done, Alma. You four grandchildren were the love of her life and she adored when you were all young and would play at her house during the summer. I think the best is when you made her quit smoking!
Love, Aunt Sus
Wow. Gin and vermouth... That's one tough grandma. Such sweet memories...
I loved our summers together playing at grandma and grandpa's house. We had so much fun- we'd get in trouble for jumping on the waterbed though! I have enjoyed spending time with grandma since she moved back to Omaha and I will miss her- no one else loved my cooking as much as she did!
Grandma died this morning (Sunday July 17th--your birthday, Alma), shortly before 8 am. I love your tribute to her!
--Love, Happy Birthday, and fond memories,
Mom (Lorraine's daughter)
Wow. Just stopped by your blog and came across this post... what a cool lady. My sympathies on her passing... even when it's for the best, it's still hard.
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