The two people i miss most are MawMaw and Nana K.
MawMaw was the most patient person on the face of the planet. She was always wise and kind, and she loved it when i called her on the phone each day as a child to say hello. She was a stickler for education, always asking me if i'd done my homework, and i knew i had better do it so i could say yes.
Watching her and Mamita (her sister) cook was an inspiration, and the base pieces of my cast iron cookware collection were passed to me from her.
Nana K lived further away, so it was a long distance call and i didn't get to talk to her or see her as much as MawMaw. It didn't make her any less beloved. Everything about going to visit her was a treat (except when i had to nap in her room because she snored).
She used to let me play with her make-up and (costume) jewelry, taught me now to broil the bacon in the broiler under the stove and how to wash dishes, and helped us put on "shows," along with my cousins, for the rest of the family. She wrote poetry, and i have some of it in her special journal. She also sewed, and one year she made my Halloween costume, a princess dress.
Looking back, they were two of the best people i ever knew, and i miss them.
Note: today i am on the way back home with the certain knowledge that the worst part of a vacation is the fact that it has to end.
Today is:
Bird Day and Arbor Day -- California, US (on Luther Burbank's birth anniversary)
Celebrate Your Name Week -- Tuesday: Unique Names Day, a day to appreciate friends, acquaintances, and loved ones with unique names
Get Grandma to Write Down Her Meatloaf Recipe -- or spaghetti, or pound cake, or whatever she specialized in, because if you don't, you will someday regret it
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo -- Houston, TX, US (since 1932, great rodeo action and top-name entertainment; through Mar. 26)
Impeachment of March Goblins -- Fairy Calendar
Masaryk Day -- Czech Republic; Slovakia (birth anniversary of Tomas Masaryk, politician, sociologist, philosopher, and advocate of Czechoslovakian independence)
National Be Heard Day -- originally a day for small businesses to speak up, but the website promoting the materials is no longer working
National Cereal Day
National Crown Roast of Pork Day
Nones of March -- Ancient Roman Calendar; related observances
Festival of Junonalia -- for Juno
Festival for Vedovus -- god of the dead, swamps, and volcanic movements
Say Hello Day -- Bell recieved a patent for the telephone this day in 1876 (although he always believed it should be answered by saying, "Ahoy!" Yes, really.)
St. Felicity's and St. Perpetua's Day (Patrons of cattle, martyrs; Santa Perpetua de Mogoda, Spain)
Teacher's Day -- Albania
Town Meeting Day -- Vermont, US (giving all citizens the right to speak out about local government, an official state holiday the first Tuesday of March allows towns to have a daylong public meeting of voters to elect town officers, approve budgets, and deal with town business)
Birthdays Today:
Jenna Fischer, 1974
Denyce Graves, 1974
Rachel Weisz, 1971
Taylor Dayne, 1962
Ivan Lendl, 1960
Rik Mayall, 1958
Bryan Cranston, 1956
Franco Harris, 1950
John Heard, 1946
Peter Wolf, 1946
Michael Eisner, 1942
Tammy Faye Bakker, 1942
Daniel J. Travanti, 1940
Janet Guthrie, 1938
Willard Herman Scott, 1934
Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon, 1930
Maurice Ravel, 1875
Piet Mondriaan, 1875
Luther Burbank, 1849
John Herschel, 1792
Stephen Hopkins, 1707
Rob Roy MacGregor, 1671
Henry Purcell, 1659
Kano Tanju, 1602
Debuting/Premiering Today:
The Nashville Network(TV network), 1983
"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"(Musical), 1967
"The Autumn Garden"(Play), 1951
"The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel"(Operetta), 1896
Today in History:
Roman Emperor Constantine I decrees that the dies Solis Invicti (sun-day) is the day of rest in the Empire, 321
King Henry VIII's divorce request is denied by the Pope; Henry then declares that he, not the Pope, is supreme head of England's church, 1530
Massachusetts enacts the first bicameral legislature in the colonies, 1664
The French army enters Rome: the birth of the Roman Republic, 1798
Shrigley Abduction: Ellen Turner is abducted by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a future politician in colonial New Zealand, 1827
Charles Miller patents the first US sewing machine to stitch buttonholes, 1854
The City of Lábrea in Amazonas, Brazil was founded, 1886
Roald Amundsen announces that, on Dec. 14, 1911, his expedition had reached the South Pole, 1912
An 8.0 earthquake strikes Tango, Japan, 1927
Bloody Sunday: Alabama state troopers and 600 black protestors clash in Selma, 1965
Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor, 1986
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that parodies of an original work are generally covered by the doctrine of fair use, 1994
British House of Commons votes to make the upper chamber, the House of Lords, 100% elected, 2007
The largest solar flare in five years, occurring March 6, 2012, nears the Earth, threatening to disrupt airline flights, GPS systems and power grids, 2012
You know Mimi, there are two people that I wish were still around in my life and they are my dad & mom. I miss them a great deal. See ya.
ReplyDeleteCruisin Paul
Every child should have a NanaK and a MawMaw.
ReplyDeleteI have a grandmother that was very special to me too. Very special. You've made me think of her this morning. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI too always hate for a fabulous vacation to end. That's when I start planning the next vacation.
Have a fabulous day, my friend. ☺
What a beautiful tribute to such obviously special people!
ReplyDeleteDue to early deaths and family weirdness, I grew up without grandparents, and feel like that's been a little bit of a missing piece for me. Not as painful as the loss of one would be, though.
And sorry about the vacation winding down, but like Sandee says, good time to plan your next one!
Those sound like two impressive individuals.
ReplyDeleteThose are sweet memories, they both sound like amazing women ( just like you).
ReplyDeleteMimi, that was so sweet. I love memories like that. These are the people who made us. They stay with us, too. Thank you for sharing them today. I have been missing some special people, too. Life is like that. Welcome home, my friend. I am sure that you were missed. Hugs.
ReplyDelete2 beautiful that had touched your life beautifully. I grew up without getting to know my grandparents but the one person I missed most was my dad who passed away when I was only 7 years old. To me, he was the most kind and loving dad,
ReplyDeleteI have so thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the special people in everyone's lives today. It's amazing to me what each of us notice in another person - how we see their heart, and it really cements the fact to me that each person has an impact on others. That we do in fact leave a hole when we depart.
ReplyDeleteI miss my grandmothers on both sides, but geopolitical events intervened and I was robbed of my maternal grandmother as a young child. Later in life, cancer robbed me of my paternal grandmother. I tell my girls, you are blessed that at your age you have all of your grandparents. They are a blessing.
ReplyDelete