Allow me to introduce you to my great grandmother who we affectionately called Granny. Granny lived next door to my grandparents and helped raise me. She was a spit fire and could have you laughing in a minute but you never crossed her. I don’t recall a time I ever crossed her. She spoiled me like crazy!

Some days after I would have breakfast at my grandparents, I would make the trek up the small hill on the path that had been cut after years of walking back and forth even before my time. Granny always greeted me with a hearty “good morning”, a big hug and a smile then it was down to business with the standard questions she would ask each time I visited. “Have you had breakfast?” “Do you want a Nehi or a V8?” (For those of you who don’t know Nehi was a carbonated drink similar to Orange Crush or Grape Crush. They had every flavor under the sun.) Then this next question, I learned to answer ‘yes’ quick. “Have you been to the bathroom this morning?” I answered no ONE time and after a dose of castor oil I never answered no again! But after that V8 became a daily drink she made me drink because, in her words “it will keep you regular”. I still laugh about that to this day.

Most mornings I would tell Granny I had not had breakfast yet. She made the most amazing bacon, eggs fried in bacon grease and toast fried in a cast iron skillet. Don’t get me wrong, my Mawmaw’s cooking was amazing but there was something different about Granny’s. As usual, I told Granny I hadn’t eaten yet so off to the kitchen we went where she whipped up a small breakfast for me and her. One morning, Mawmaw decided to walk up to Granny’s while we were sitting at the table eating. When she came in she asked why was I eating again. Granny said, “she told me she hadn’t eaten yet.” Mawmaw set the record straight and I ducked my head down but continued eating the amazing meal in front of me. Granny paid no mind and our normal morning routine continued and I would have two breakfasts most mornings.

Granny hated modern conveniences! She would talk about how she missed the good old days and how much easier it was and there were less things that broke. She especially hated the toilet in the winter months. I remember spending the night one time and in the middle of the night I hear Granny say “Dang it all!” I had no idea what was going on so I hollered out, “Granny are you okay?” She hollered back and said, “I’m fine but I just peed all over the place. I hate toilets!” Of course, I started giggling at the thought of what Granny just told me. Come to find out, Granny didn’t sit on the toilet in winter because she said it was to cold. That night, she told me she had gone to the bathroom, hiked up her gown, crouched over the toiled and started “taking care of business”. She had forgotten the lid to the toilet had been closed earlier and her “business” went all over the floor. That became a big source of laughter for days to come.

I loved my Granny with all of my heart! Even at 84 she was out raking the yard, cleaning up the porch, cleaning her house, doing laundry, etc. She never stopped! Granny always told me “when you get older you keep going so nothing can slow you down”. She also taught me, along with my grandparents to be respectful of everyone no matter who they are or how old they are, which I try to do. Granny developed dementia and eventually had to be put in a home. I was heartbroken. Alzheimer’s was not a diagnosis back then but if I had to guess, I would say that’s what she had. She was still a spit fire, though! I have many more stories to tell about Granny. I loved her so much and she loved me!