June 27, 2012
Vacation...and Grandma Lilly's house..............
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 This old brick house, Grandma Lilly's, in Cleveland Heights is still a special place in my memory bank. I lived there with her, alone, for several months when my mother had a miscarriage while in Georgia and had a tough recovery. Meanwhile, at age age 5...Lilly got me temporarily enrolled in kindergarten across the street. My father had gone to the same one and had the same teacher, Miss Leatherman. I never felt abandoned and always had things to do. Lilly was a widow by then so that the three story house felt huge to me as a child and now I look at it, and it isnt' so big. My mother says that my grandpa bought the house from a bank in 1930 for $5,000. A real estate DEAL. Grandma lived there until 1950 when she finally sold it and moved to an apartment. I had not seen it in 50 years...........what a nice, nostalgic vacation visit!
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Posted by Nancy Rossman
on June 27, 2012 at 11:00 PM
in Grandmothers |
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June 13, 2011
Grandma Lilly's Words of Wisdom
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There's a reason we call our Nanas "grandmothers" ... as in GRAND. They are the best part of mother. And growing up in the fifties and sixties my grandmother, and others, had a look about them. White-haired, overweight, pearls...think Barbara Bush. Grandma Lilly spoiled me with ice cream from the Good Humor man, even if dinner was an hour away, she bought me the toy Mom said I couldn't have, she read to me every night. Sometimes it was the same book over and over. She never reminded me that we'd already done that story. Grandmothers did all those wonderful things and then delivered us back to our parents. I never considered that what was so grand wouldn't be that way if I lived with her 24/7.
Grandma Lilly gave me even more than that. It was attention. She talked to me, asked me questions about school, my friends, and later my boyfriends. Her interest in me made me want to go to her for advice. She'd make me a cup of tea, and I'd talk...just talk without coming up with a solution. (Even now whenever I have a big problem the first thing I do is make a cup of tea. Just thinking about her makes everything better).
As a teenager I considered my mother from an alien planet and never wanted to involve her. I consulted Lilly about my boyfriends and subsequent problems. I vividly remember when my first boyfriend, Greg Smith, dumped me for another girl. I cried until my hair hurt.. Lilly wiped my eyes and said, "There's plenty of other tin cans in the dump. Don't you worry." I sure didn't think it was funny then but I remember it now. I've even quoted it to my daughter.
After problems developed in my marriage It was Lilly I turned to for advice. I wanted Tom to be more affectionate and do things with me instead of watching sports on TV all the time. When I asked her what to do she heaved and sighed. "A fella isn't likely to change."
If those two scenes aren't pearls of wisdom, then I don't know what is!
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Posted by Nancy Rossman
on June 13, 2011 at 9:27 AM
in Grandmothers |
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