Mules N' Honey

This is my grandma S. She passed away early yesterday morning. She "died" Friday evening, but they resuscitated her, sort of. She passed away several hours later.

My grandma had a knee replacement surgery a few weeks ago. September 12, I think. She was high risk, and took the risk anyway. I suppose she thought taking the risk of having a better knee and better mobility was more appealing than slowly losing your mobility one day at a time. I can't say I blame her. She got sick after her surgery, and ended up in the hospital. She was in ICU for a bit, and had improved enough to be in a normal room. But, she was just too weak to do anything. They ended up putting in a feeding tube again, because she was too weak to eat. On the plus side, my grandpa passed away 22 years ago, and now she can be with him again.

Things I will always remember about my grandma: she taught me how make zucchini bread out the "Woody's Goodies" cookbook. She let me drive the three wheelers around where ever I wanted. She always had play doh and a shoebox full of tools to play with: she taught me how to make an Easter basket with little play doh eggs. For the entire time I was growing up, she lived on a little ranch in Woody, California. I would spend a week or two at a time with her, usually with a sister (Kendra) or a cousin (April). We had many good times there.

Her nick name was "Dead Eye Dorothy," because she was a great shot with a .22 rifle. She would keep one by her door and shot any rattlesnakes that came too close.

She enjoyed cooking and trying new recipes. She made caramel sauce for vanilla ice milk, and would pop popcorn over the stove. She had a huge round table that we would sit around and eat. After every meal the kids would get under the table and tickle the grown-ups feet while they talked about politics. I think we will always remember melting butter to put on the garlic bread and then sprinkling paprika on top to make it pretty.

She loved to swim laps and for years wore a retro swimsuit with a rubber swim cap, complete with plastic flowers. She loved to take walks. She used to pay me $10 to clean all her sliding glass doors. I thought it was great, and since it was in the shade, not bad work!

She went to a non denominational Christian church, and they had a wonderful old lady (Mae Delaney) who ROCKED the piano. ROCKED. When she passed away, my grandma started taking piano lessons so she could help her congregation sing. She was in her 60's when she started. She always had the attitude that you can do anything you set your mind to.

She was a good example to me and taught me a lot of things when I was younger. It is largely due to her that I love living in the country. She loved her ranch and it was this kid's dream come true to hang out there. I want some of that for my kids, and will pass some of that legacy on.