GRANDMA STIMENS, 100
YEARS YOUNG
Today
is Grandparents Day and I thought it only fitting that I write about another of
my grandmothers. Actually, Mary Stimens was my wife's grandmother and it was
through Cindy that I became acquainted with Grandma. I became very quickly fond
of her and fondness soon gave way to love.
Grandma
was ramrod straight and willow-whip thin. She never wasted a word in her life
and was capable of being very cantankerous. She knew what she wanted, was very
clear about that and was often critical, which made helping her sometimes an
exercise in futility and frustration; not that she ever required much help. She
managed several apartments, doing most of the maintenance and repair herself.
She cleaned the leaves out of her gutters and the snow off of her roof into her
early nineties. The State of Ohio renewed her driver's license on her
ninety-fifth birthday and she drove herself for another two years.
She
had the greenest of green thumbs and gardened into her late nineties being
careful that her efforts did not pinch any part of the one hundred or so feet of
oxygen supply tube connected to the tank on her porch as she worked in her
flowerbeds. She interested me in growing bottle gourds and we shared tips and
seeds with each other. Although we hosted Grandma several times, both at our
home and took her out to eat, she never cooked a meal for us although I
understood that she was a good cook and an exceptional baker. Very
un-grandmotherly of her, but we did not find that unusual and no cause for
resentment.
For
several years, Cindy, who was at one time a hairdresser, would set Grandma's
hair once a week and help her color it about every six weeks. Grandma mixed her
own hair color in a way that would make any chemist proud, adding one component
by eyedropper. These occasions were marathon affairs that lasted several hours
and included much instruction on Grandma's part, but also gave us ample time to
visit with her. She had a great sense of humor and laughed easily which made any
time we spent with her enjoyable.
She
died peacefully seven months after her one hundred and first birthday. Some moments
before her death, a nurse approached her bedside to check on her. Grandma
roused herself and said, "Have you come in here to bother me again?"
That was vintage Grandma. We miss her—a lot.
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