After my grandmother died at the age of 97, I found a large purse full of small notebooks where she recorded her daily activities: when she woke up, where she ate breakfast, what mail she received, what movies she went to see and what she watched on TV.
That was cool.
Cool because I find these daily snapshots fascinating, and also therapeutic. Something
about following in her footsteps, living the details of her day,
soothes me. The routine. The normalcy. The predictability. I need it
right now.
And so I keep reading them, and transcribing them here, in case others might need some normalcy and predictability as well.
In February of 1997, my grandmother was 81 and still living alone in a mobile home park in Santa Cruz, Calif, near the surfing spot Pleasure Point. I wouldn't describe her as lonely; she was an
extremely independent and persnickety woman whom I never knew to live
with another person or even a pet. (I wrote more about her life in an
earlier post.)
Since the Super Bowl was still held in January of that year, there were no more football games for her to watch in February, but she saw plenty of movies, walked often near the ocean, spent a lot of time checking her blood pressure and talked to me often as I searched for a newspaper job after graduating with a journalism degree the previous December.
Saturday, Feb. 1, 1997
Cold. Stayed in bed til 8.
Washed towel, ironed apron.
Coffee & donut at corner.
Home 10:30. Vacuumed, ate soup.
To show, "Three Lives and Only One Death." Marcello Mastroianni.
Mail: Bank statement OK, auto insurance $17.34 less.
TV: Siskel & Ebert, OK to 3. Watched "Groundhog Day" again.
Bed, read. Up 3 times. Last sleep is best.
Sunday, Feb. 2, 1997
Awake 6. Ear good.
Walked on East Cliff.
To corner. Lee there. Her husband slow today, from stroke.
Golf til 5 p.m. Very good, did various chores.
Crossword, started letters, owe everybody.
Bed, read “Murder at BP” til 2:30.
Had soup, bread.
Monday, Feb. 3, 1997
Up 9. Breakfast Lyon's. Increased prices. (Made 2.69 to 2.99 for seniors, so total is higher. Accountant's suggestion?)
Gas, Drug Emporium, Trader Joe's.
Wrote Mimi after news.
To Longs for Xerox, eye vitamins, envelopes.
Mailed letter to Mimi, package to Mina.
Went by Dunlaps [her neighbors]. Anna there, friend w/Ellie since '72.
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 1997
Breakfast corner.
Some chores, wrote letter to Prudy.
Walked on East Cliff.
Two quakes north of SF, 3.5 and 3.8.
Verdict reached in O.J. civil trial, liable all 8 counts. $8.5 million.
Watched Geraldo, skipped Clinton's State of the Union.
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 1997
Awake 8:30, up 9. Chores, ate banana, cereal.
Walked, tea, croissant.
Library, got Jan. 17 Mercury News.
To Scotts Valley, ate hot dog! Ice cream!
To show, "Jerry Maguire." A section of life I do not relate to."
Home, dinner. Bed early, crossword. Couldn't sleep.
PBS, Living Edens. (Alaska, Denali, not McKinley.)
Thursday, Feb. 6, 1997
Ronald Reagan 86th birthday.
Appointment at 9:30. Hearing in right ear getting bad. Check again in one year.
Mall, coffee and muffin.
Home, news, various chores. Wrote Justine.
TV: News, Tiger Woods food poisoning.
Saturday, Feb. 8, 1997
Slept til 9, at corner til 10:30.
Drug Emporium has BP machine. Mine 119/59?
Got gingko biloba, another “slumber cap,” rat tail comb.
To library, returned 2 & 3 of “Silk Road.”
To show, “Les Voleurs.” Good. Catherine Deneuve.
To McDonald’s, chicken.
Started Hamlet, A&E.
Sunday, Feb. 9, 1997
Up 8:15, some cereal. To 41st for coffee, donuts.
To show, "Hamlet." Exciting. Spilled water on me, pants wet hours. I dropped glove, found a watch. They found glove, I turned in watch.
To Kmart, turkey sandwich.
Home, wrapped video for Mina, wrote small note.
TV: Mystery, Summertime, one segment from 60 Minutes, Helen Mirren.
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 1997
Good sleep. To laundromat, sheets.
Ate cereal, banana.
To Gottschalk's, got 4 items: Liz jacket (denim), white t-shirt, blue silk, grey with sequins.
To Drug Emporium, BP. Talked to lady, said another machine at Kmart.
Ran "Silk Road."
Quake, 3.0. Same area at Rohnert Park.
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 1997
Up 8:30. Chores here. Walked East Cliff.
Drug Emporium, checked BP, 146. Louden, 154.
Library, returned “Silk Road,” got French lessons.
Gottschalk’s, got pants & sweater!!
TV: News, Nova.
Bed, read book.
Thursday, Feb. 13, 1997
Up 7:30. Pulled weeds one hour. To corner.
Home, wrote misc info gathered re "Maul and the Pear Tree."
To Drug Emporium, sports shop. (Fanny packs high.)
To Live Oak, sat with Earl, Mildred, Um? Jennings. Emilio or Amelio?
Home, news. Some Geraldo. Some "Secrets of Lost Empire."
Bio of W.E.B. Du Bois.
Friday, Feb. 14, 1997
Awake 7, then 9:30. To corner.
BP at Drug Emporium. 117/52. Then to Kmart, 142/68. Why?
Library, got Franc exchange. .07F difference.
To Cinema, line for "Absolute Power." Ate tuna sandwich.
Then to "Mother Night" at Nickelodeon.
Home, some weeding.
Mail: Letter from Mina.
TV: "Like Water for Chocolate" one hour, skating one hour.
Saturday, Feb. 15, 1997
Up 9:30. To corner, talked a bit.
To mall, looked for shoes. Sears, Penney, Gotts, etc.
To Kmart, returned Bone purse.
Justine called. Will be here tomorrow.
TV: Ice skating. Tara Lipinski won, Michelle Kwan 2nd, Nicole Bobek 3rd.
Sunday, Feb. 16, 1997
Chilly in a.m. Breakfast corner. Talked to Lois.
Read instructions on vacuum. Put batteries in charger.
11 a.m., ironed, various chores.
Justine called 1:15. To Catalyst, I had veg soup.
Drove to UCSC, coffee at Starbucks.
To Gottschalk's for business clothes for Justine. Two items, $87
Home 6 p.m., girls left.
TV: News, taped Emma.
Bed, read Iliad. Rained about 10 to 11.
Monday, Feb. 17, 1997
Up 7:45. Chilly, cloudy.
To Gottschalk's, no find any more.
Home, pruned roses.
Wrote letters: Mina, sent part of Mercury News to Justine.
To McDonald’s, got chicken. Gave man $1.
Home, news a bit. Ran "Emma."
Tuesday, Feb. 18, 1997
Awake 7:30, up 8:15. Coffee, etc at McDonald's.
Kmart, got TV Guide & nuts.
Shell, got gas, car wash.
Walked on West Cliff.
Home 12:15, free paper!
Wrote three letters.
To Live Oak for BP. Mailed letters.
Home. Dinner. Income tax. Bed.
*Forgot to eat at Live Oak, Alice waiting. I returned later.
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 1997
Up 9. Showered/hair. To corner. To library.
To show, "Sling Blade." Sad. 2 hours, 14 minutes.
Missed dinner, second time.
To Kmart for BP. To Safeway, got fish.
Mail: Letter from Prudy, Hugh has "mass" on left kidney.
TV: Geraldo, new Supreme Court decision re police can order passengers out of car.
Thursday, Feb. 20, 1997
Slept pretty good.
Ate Kmart, got mirror, small veg. brush, Maalox.
Mall: Bought hat at Mervyn's, bra and purse at Penney's.
Home, news. Snack, read some papers, rested.
To Drug Emporium, BP.
Home, some weeding. News, Geraldo.
Sewed sleep hat, mended t-shirt.
TV: Mystery, missed first segment.
Friday, Feb. 21, 1997
Cold. To corner.
Washed six t-shirts. To laundromat.
Drug Emporium, BP. Longs, pix.
To show, "Star Wars." [Re-release]. Wanted to stay for "Absolute Power," but parking space only two hours.
TV: Geraldo. Had [Mark] Fuhrman on as guest.
Some French. Bed, read 10 minutes.
Saturday, Feb. 22, 1997
Not great sleep. Windy today.
Up 9. Doctor on KGO recommends Gingko.
Drug Emporium, BP and ear plugs, new toothbrush.
Trader Joe’s, dried fruit, catfish, veg burgers.
Home, wrote Prudy.
To bank, got $200. Worked on taxes.
Watched two hours of “Jack the Ripper” with Michael Caine as detective.
Sunday,Feb. 23, 1997
Bed til 9:40! Drug Emporium, checked BP.
To Vibol's, Lois and Oscar there.
Kmart, checked BP. Sale on Bone flats, but no size 9.
To Scotts Valley Kmart, had 9s!
To Wendy's, got chicken sandwich, salad.
Home, some French.
Watched second part of "Jack the Ripper."
6 to 7:30. Ate with Mary Clark at Marie Callender's. Salad, wonton.
Slept til 1:30, watched "Pink Cadillac," Bernadette Peters, Clint Eastwood, til 3:30.
No sleep.
Monday, Feb. 24, 1997
Up 9:15. Breakfast corner.
Gottschalk's, got brown sweater.
Drug Emporium, BP, TV Guide. Longs for Xerox.
No mail.
Rested, straightened sox, underwear drawer.
Tired, but can't sleep. Ate a little bit of salad, threw away.
Bed, read, crossword. Finally slept.
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 1997
Cold. Up 9:15. Yard work til 11.
To Gottschalk's. No brown Alfred Dunner, but did buy two blouses, 1 navy, 1 black. Classics.
To thrift shop, gave clothes, didn't make notes.
Library, home. Salad.
TV: "The Killers" AMC,
Drug Emporium, BP. Low?
Read, news.
TV: Mystery, Law & Order, Frasier, Caroline in the City.
Read til 1:30.
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 1997
Up 8:30. Cold developed!
Had apple sauce.To 41st Donut.
To Kmart, checked BP. Low.
To Louden for BP, 162.
Home, some yard work. Made new money holder for travel.
Mail: Letter from Mina, liked Summertime (1955).
Carol called, I called back. Talked 1 and 1/4 hour.
TV: Law & Order, dance competition.
Not good sleep.
Thursday, Feb. 27, 1997
Up 9:30. Breakfast corner.
Longs, got tissue and pineapple.
Library, returned book.
To Kmart, got blue pumps.
Windy, slight rain. Read.
5:40, Justine called, was offered job at Vallejo. Has to take drug test at Lompoc.
TV: News, missed Jennings.
Friday, Feb. 28, 1997
Up 8:45. Breakfast Kmart.
Shower/hair. Library, got book.
To show, "Absolute Power." Some good, but some "holes" in story or editing.
Sunny but windy. Home 5 p.m.
Mail: Newsletter from Masonic Home.
TV: News, shootout in North Hollywood. Bank robbers, two killed, 8 officers hurt and people in area.
Bed after 10 p.m. news. Crossword.
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