Grandmother Toni Lawson: 2007

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Nope, but a little genealogy research could net interesting people. Did I tell you that when we were trying to leave Old Forge last time, Mom was doing a little freak out so we got to Utica late and then Mom wanted to go back to Old Forge, so we did. I stopped to get directions at a library and found that we were not far from the house that Mom remembered her grandmother in. We went by. I could see everything from Mom's eyes and Louise came alive to me. I saw the room that she died in and remembered her wonderful blessing to Mom. She said, "Have a beautiful life, child.". always to the end thinking of her family and making a real contribution...that's why they called her The Angel.

About Pain

"You still cry, but it's not as painful as it used to be." - Grandmother to Auntie... As a youth all the feelings are in technicolor. We are all responsible for our own growth, and understanding, our own happiness. The other side of that we have to have an historical understanding - and we need the environment - to choose people that foster that growht and nurturing and development - but it takes time to develop those kinds of relationships. And we need DIALOGUE. A Better Dialogue. Safety. Skills... Keep trying and be as good a person as you know how.

I wish Auntie would join me and Mom and others in the study of FUNDAEC course http://www.lazoslearning.org/index.php?lang=en

by the Water III

A Nice Time with Grandmom Toni & Auntie & Mom (and Jack, Mommy Kitty and Sammy)

We'll have been here from Sunday - Thursday with Grandmother Toni.10:30am - wake up, come downstairs, coffee, breakfast, newspaper in the Living Room. Talk about news, stories, read letters from family, look at pictures of family and friends and talk about that. Talk to Jack, Mommy Kitty, at night, Sammy Kitty. Maybe people will come by to fix things around the house (Dennis and his 10 year old granddaughter, Kaitlyn), on Tuesdays and Fridays Sylvia comes to clean - very nice lady with a beautiful 10 year old son, 26 year old daughter, and 7 month old granddaughter (Stephanie). Maybe some others come to help Auntie in the office. Others may come to do yard work, pool work, repair damaged parts of the house due to last year's hurricaine season (soon to be this year's season), or faulty carpentry from when the house was built about 20 years ago, or from age.

We walk Jack about 4-5 times a day - MOm and I do. It's such a beautiful walk around here. I want to get some pictures of the homes. It would be great to model the "ESD Green Center for Excellence and Learning and Virtues ..." after some of these tropical landscapes and housing styles. And make sure there are animals there - cats, dogs, horses, etc.

1:00pm - make Gmom lunch and encourage her to drink more. Today we had a huge platter of watermelon, apples, strawberries, and pineapple that she snacked on all day. Plus her cup of coffee, a cup of tea.... hopefully she got enough water, vitamins, etc. She had a small taste of lunch that MOm made - very beautiful rice, beans and chicken and salad.

Of course need to swim some laps in the lovely pool in the lovely weather. :)

Clean the house up and take care of business on the computers.

6:00pm - fruit and cake snack, with first glass of "wine" 1/2 wine, 1/2 grapejuice.6:30pm - move to family room for international news and tv until

9:00pm. The entertainment shows are so what's the word - where they flame you up just to flame you up. yeah. Then we looked for funny, smart sitcoms, then we looked for good old movies a Jimmy Steward one from 1950. We should be going upstairs soon for lung meds and sleep.

I printed up letters from Dad's Western Travels this summer, and lots of pics and explanations. PLEASE MAIL GMOM LETTERS AND PICTURES WITH DESCRIPTIONS - Auntie can put them in plastic sheaths (or you can too) and Gmom can read them over and remember you remembering her.

9:00pm - it's time for beddie bye. She'll read in bed. Jack and the cats will spend time with her.

It's so nice to be with her and to have Mom here too. We'll say the Lord's Prayer and sing some songs and chat maybe even a little massage (which she LOVES) and nightie night.

Love you!

P.S. I asked Gmom her favorite Musicals tonight and she mentioned that Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald were sooo romantic and nice. Learn more here - lots of nostalgic things to buy too: http://www.maceddy.com/. Her favorite song she said tonight? "When you call" or something like that. Send her lyrics of favorite songs that you liked to sing together - she loves to sing - now she has "Hello Dolly", "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and "It's a Wonderful World" and loves to sing them and hear them sung to her.

On the Water 2

On the Water

Having a chat

Gmomma in her Parlor

Talking with Leah, Darby, C and Jack

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Grammykins

Grandmother wakes up around 10am and comes down to the parlor (where she is now) and reads the morning paper and other mail that's on the coffee table. I printed out some pictures and Mom and I both wrote some explanations of them. Her Dog John "Jack" Russel Wyatt Lawson is curled up in the corner next to her on the green couch. Grammykins, as I've taken to calling her, is looking through the pictures - commenting on Boo's beauty and asking where she lives now. Mom says, "Yes, they're beautiful inside and out". Gmom agrees. Gmom's hair is natural - silver gray and she can look so beautiful with her green eyes. And be so loving and sweet. We'll have lunch later. It's almost noon. The mail just arrived (I had to sign for a certified letter - regarding the temp storage box on the property to hold the garage things while they fixed the leaking roof there) - and Jack growled and barked. I told the nice mailman that Jack was greeting him - and the nice mailman said, "As usual". Then i signed the letter - and he said, "And now you've enlisted in the Army." jokes. Nice.

Grandmother is full of jokes and stories and quit wit. How did she develop that?

She'll read her papers and the news until lunch time. And then read some more and talk more.

Then at 6pm I'll make her a wine - 1/2 wine, and 1/2 grapejuice. And at 6:30pm she'll watch the international news with earnest concern. Then at 7pm we'll watch Extra and those entertainment shows - with a different approach - with disbelief and great curiosity. We'll watch sitcoms (because i don't like to watch the crime shows like CSI etc, too violent) like "King of Queens" or "Everybody Loves Raymond" - until 9pm. Somewhere around 7pm dinner is served but Gmom is only interested in sweet stuff - dessert, wine, etc. So last night she got fresh pineapple slices and she didn't even touch the Chicken Mole/Rice & Tadik meal that my Momma made. I did and it was great. Gmom did take her evening meds - just a few pills.

At that time the tv goes off and Gmom gathers her papers that she's sorted all day - a pile for coupons for shopping, a pile of interesting articles for reading later, pile for the trash, etc. She walks upstairs with Jack close behind, and she goes to bed. We'll say The Lords Prayer or "O God Guide Me" I'll say to her, and maybe a talk, maybe a massage for a few minutes. And then goodnight.

I will try to record some of the great stories, jokes, love and quick wit that Gmom shares with us now. She has memory loss, but she has a lot of memories still to share. And love.

I asked her the other night what she thinks about. She laughed and asked me the same question. We think about how we're going to get through the day. And then our loved ones and how they're doing.

She told me how much she misses Grandad and what a brave man he was, and to remember him. What a smart man he was. What an honest man he was. What a good husband, son, father, he was. And handsome too. And he drank too much too she added with humor.

She told me about Squeaky the Squirrel monkey they had for a pet for a number of years. He was a demon and I loved him. I have some video of that to post later.

She's looking at the pictures i printed out for her today. Please send her color pictures of you and your life and write a short description, dates, and stories she can read about it.

Love you guys,
Christi

I'm glad to be around her. In her beautiful house. With the beautiful trees, sky, everything around her. She loves us. We love her.

She was "serenaded" by a friend - who sang to her "Hello Dolly" and "it's a wonderful world" and she "swooned" and fanned herself. :) such a funny lady.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Wonderful Grandmother

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Visit with Gmom and Auntie

So, Gmom aka Grammiekins, is doing well. She’s herself. She greeted me by telling me over and over how wonderful I look. Nice greeting. Then she makes her jokes and funny comments. Then when guests came she was her old self: “Christi – get our guests some ice for their drinks…where’s the gin?” I asked her at one time – would you like some water? “Never touch the stuff” So funny. She offered to date Auntie’s old beau, who she is quite fond of. And she’s really fond of Mr. Jack Wyatt Lawson. She “used to wake at 10, but now she wakes at noon.” Reads in bed until she needs her coffee and breakie and takes her vitamins. Reads some more and talks. She read me the expensive advertisements for home décor and we laughed and ordered 1 each of the gold 6 arm chandeliers. One for each of us.

I wish I could remember all the funny things she’s been saying. She was amazingly wonderfully hospitable to my friends when they visited us keeping the conversations going and asking the children to wear a Santa’s hat and have a swim anytime, and visit anytime. Good times.