Grandma and Me

So last Friday, Grandma and I made plans to go get our flu shots.

I myself had gone to my doctor in late September, and they were out of flu vaccinations. I was a bit perturbed because I had the flu late last year and it was nothing nice. I want NO parts of that. So when Grandma said she needed a flu shot, I hollered "Hey, I'll take you. We can get shots together!"

I told her I would come over immediately after Friday morning bible study. And when I arrived at her house around noon, she was up and ready to go.

And when I say she was ready? Honey, she was ready.

Look at my Grandma!

"Look at ya, girl!" I hollered. "Got your wig on, your long earrings on. Got your good pocketbook, too. I thought we were going to get shots, not run the streets all day! Where's your red lipstick at, girl!?"

She giggled.

"If I would've known you were gonna be all gussied up, I would've put my wig and long earrings on, too!"

That really made her laugh. She knows I am the ultimate tomboy.

[Sidenote: Look at the bushes behind her in the above picture. Back in 1976, when I was 6 years old, I was playing near those bushes. I was stung by a gigantic bumblebee. Some random dude was walking down the street and I hollered and ran and jumped right in his arms. This old woman chewed some snuff and spread it on the back of my hand, where the bee had stung me. I was aghast. Til' this day, some 37 years later, I am still horrified. I walk gingerly up the stairs... as far away from the side where the bushes are. Sigh]

Now whenever I visit her, she always asks me if I saw the flowers in the yard.

I always tell her yes.  I park next to them, so I see them. In the past couple of weeks, some pink flowers have bloomed near the mailbox. I know she'd been tending to them, and at the same time, taking time to sweep the street out in front of the house. So since she was wearing pink that day, I asked if she would take a picture next to the flowers.

And she was glad to. She LOVES planting and tending flowers. She has explained to me several times when to plant bulbs and how to grow flowers and how to tend flower beds, but I just sit there with a deer-in-the-headlights look. It just does NOT compute. At all.

I will just go to her house and enjoy her beautiful flowers.

It was a beautiful day, and even though the drug store clinic was a couple of miles away, we made the best of it.  I let all the windows down and opened the sunroof so the wind could blow through our hair.

"Hold on to your wig, Grandma," I said.  "I don't want your good wig to blow off."

She giggled.

We both got our shots. She wanted a pneumonia shot, but the nurse said she only needed once after the age of 65, and she's 83. She had the shot a couple years ago, so she is good. I only got the flu shot. I have to talk to my doctor about the pneumonia shot. I don't know if I'm allergic, or if it interacts with my other medications.

We walked around the store for awhile. The only things we bought were bottled water. Then I took her home, and I stayed an additional hour with her. It's always a good time to make a little leeway on my crochet projects. She was particularly chatty and that was good. I'm just glad she's able to get around good.

I really enjoyed that time, even though we were running an errand.

"I didn't know if you were really coming over," she mumbled.

I don't really know what made her think that. I keep my word with her. And then I realized that she's like me (or I am like her): we don't like bothering folk. And we both know how people are getting busier and busier by the day.

"Oh, I was coming over," I said. "I always like hanging out with you.  And I don't mind helping. I'm always available."

She giggled.

We both giggled.

And we enjoyed each others time.

And a good time it was.