Who's that lady?

No, that's not a photo of me. That was my paternal grandmother. The little girl in the back is one of my favorite cousins. 

I've heard about Grandma's flaws from far and wide. She was certainly no saint!  

I won't go into her very bad ways, but will remark on her culinary skills. She didn't have many. In later years, she was one of the biggest believers in the microwave oven. She liked to get out a lot, and didn't let emphysema slow her down; in fact, she strapped her oxygen tank into the front passenger seat before she lost her license. She did like to keep up her personal appearance, and I was one of the recipients of her almost-empty nail polish bottles. She knitted and crocheted for her grandchildren, especially ponchos in the 1960s and 70s. She loved Zane Grey novels. I tried to get into them, but never could. When Grandma died, her eldest daughter stuck a packet of Juicy Fruit, Grandma's favorite gum which she constantly chewed, in Grandma's pocket before she was buried. 

My younger cousins assure me Grandma really turned out to be a fabulous grandmother to them. I wish she had more time when we were little.  At the time I was growing up, Grandma had 27 grandchildren, and only 11 lived in any proximity of her (when she died, she had 31 grandchildren, 30 here on Earth and one to meet her in Heaven). We did share correspondence when she was placed in a care facility. I treasure those letters. 

It should also be noted that, for all the poor choices she made throughout her life, Grandma helped raise three of her grandchildren. One of my aunts was not always there for her kids, often for months at a time. Grandma took up the slack for Auntie. For that alone, Grandma deserves merit in my book. 

Grandma's face is going to be my profile photo for awhile.