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| Grandma, left, chaperoning teens in June of 1961. |
In 1997, she turned 82 while living alone in a mobile home park in Santa
Cruz, Calif., but 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.)
Close
to her home was the famous surfing spot called Pleasure Point, and she
loved walking on the cliffs above the ocean and watching the surfers. When she died at 97
in 2013, I took her ashes to those waves with a friend of hers and we
each dropped some at the sand. A moment after I dropped mine, a surfer
emerged from the water where I stood.
That was cool.
In June of 1997, my grandmother was recovering from her latest visit to Europe while watching a lot of tennis and golf. She was also not only checking her blood pressure multiple times a day, but driving to different places to check it on different machines.
Sunday, June 1, 1997
Up 7. Tea, cereal, strawberries and banana.
Washed car, watered lawns.
Yard work, took fern apart.
Worked until 9 o’clock.
Drug Emporium, BP.
Not as hot.
Tennis, Hingis won, Seles over Mary Pierce. Crowd does wave “For Mary.”
TV: “Red Dwarf” til 10.
Retired but no sleep, up for soup and toast at 12.
Tuesday, June 3, 1997
Tea, cereal. Vote 26th Street.
Money for girls: Check to H, deposit to Justine’s. ATM removed “Balance Inquiry.”
TV: Tennis.
Ate liver.
To Live Oak, BP 128/70.
Taped Karaoke. Two hours.
Wednesday, June 4, 1997
Up 8:30. Showered, hair, etc.
Late to Vibol’s. Monie is two months late, says Vibol wants child.
To Gottschalk’s, got blue/white umbrella stand.
Home, lunch, talked to neighbors.
Wrote letter to Prudy. To mailbox.
To OSH, got philodendron for blue/white vase.
Walked, knees hurt.
Thursday, June 5, 1997
Ate tea, sausage here.
Some yard work. Larry found picture.
Got another plant, indoor this time. Put other outside.
Got blue/white bowl for violet, one for other plant.
Ate chicken san at KFC.
BP at Drug Emporium, low also. Why? Only change was knee warmers?
Friday, June 6, 1997
Mailed birthday card + money to H. Also note to Justine.
Up late. To post office.
Checked BP at Longs early. 133/76.
To corner.
Home, tennis.
Wrote Andra/Lutz, Mina.
Bed 6 p.m., no sleep til a.m.
Saturday, June 7, 1997
No real sleep. Why?
Up 8:30. Yunnan tea, 1/2 muffin.
Longs, BP low. 108?
Home, tennis. Hingis lost, had cramps? In interview said no problem, Iva played better.
Got gas, checked New Leaf for Yunnan tea.
Called Watsonville Food, no.
Pruned jasmine, cut limbs. 2 hours.
Watched Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance.
Sunday, June 8, 1997
To Vibol’s.
Searched for Yunnan tea. Longs, mall.
To show, “Breakdown.” Very exciting, suspenseful.
Caught last 1/2 hour of “Lost World.”
New Leaf for tea, woman tried to locate wholesaler.
Home, 60 Minutes.
Bed, but sleep late. Up three times.
Monday, June 9, 1997
H birthday.
Up 9. To Longs, BP.
To Vibol's. Talked with Clifton?
Looked more for tea, not found. Way of Life will try order. Got Chamomile.
Dinner at Live Oak.
Justine called at 4, returned call at 4:30. Finally talked 6 or so.
Bed after Cybill.
Tuesday, June 10, 1997
Had chamomile tea last night, slept good.
Up 9. Ate cereal, Yunnan tea.
Longs for BP. First 145, second 113. Got TV Guide.
To library, checked for herbs, San Jose herb markets.
Checked Bass tickets to “Phantom of Opera,” $67.50 downstairs, $50 balcony.
TV: Taped “White Ghost.” Not great!
No sleep until 2 a.m.
Called Justine at 1 a.m.
Wednesday, June 11, 1997
Awake 7:30, up 9:40.
Breakfast McDonald’s. Took BP before and after.
Walked on cliff.
Ate sandwich at Vibol’s, he not there. Dave came by.
Way of Life called, tea in! 3.83 - 25 bags.
Wrote Justine.
Longs, checked BP, OK.
To post office, mailed letters.
Home, worked on plants.
TV: Baseball, Dodgers 10, Astros 5.
Thursday, June 12, 1997
Slept til 9:30. Shower, hair.
To Vibol’s, he cooked liver - onion, ginger. Needs garlic?
TV: Golf, Tiger not good.
BP at Mid-County, 188.
Same at Longs, got dinners, new leg warmers, brown.
To bank, got GTE stock shares. Read market wrong, still thinking. May sell.
Slept good, took tea.
Friday, June 13, 1997
Up 7:30, laundromat.
Longs, BP machine off.
Got card from odd man, Phil. Working on Bebe’s roof.
TV: Golf, Tiger Woods back on track.
4:30, machine at Longs still down, checked at Drug Emporium.
Saturday, June 14, 1997
Up 9:15, tea. To Longs, BP working.
Got paper, to Vibol’s, home.
Ironed clothes.
Golf most of day. Cold, rained in early am.
Read papers, mended “apple” boy.
Golf held because of rain.
Watched some “Fanny,” old French movie, read some.
Watched MTV awards for 15 mins or so. Mike Meyers spoofed Lord of the Dance.
Monday, June 16, 1997
Breakfast here, cut more Jasmine.
Longs, BP, Albertson’s, Vibol’s.
Mail: Fone bill.
Talked to neighbor, made comment about Bebe.
Worked on branches until almost ill.
Rested and ate. Watered lawn, fertilized again.
Seems $180 was taken with pickpocket.
TV: News, Miss Marple, crossword.
Wrote Mimi.
Tuesday, June 17, 1997
Up 9. Very relaxed.
Ants in kitchen, grease.
To post office, mailed letter, got stamps.
Used toilet at Mid-County.
To Lucky, got 3 frozen dinners.
No BP at Live Oak today.
Walked on cliff.
Mail: From Mimi (Jazzy) and Andra with phone cards. Called Justine with one that had 9 mins on it.
Worked in yard.
Justine called 11:30. No sleep until 3 a.m.
Thursday, June 19, 1997
Eye Exam.
Up 9:15. Tea, applesauce.
Longs for BP.
Vibol's, library. Got Sentinel.
To doctor for exam, no change in lenses. Should pass test. Drove home carefully.
Longs, took pix of pier accident. Sent to Justine with ticket (Phantom).
Got “Caught” video at Wherehouse.
Dodgers v. Giants.
Friday, June 20, 1997
Up 9ish. Tea. Ants here.
Longs, high BP.
To Vibol’s. Seagulls got my car, hood.
Home, washed car.
Ran “Caught.” Good, well-made.
Changed clothes again. To Wherehouse, returned tape.
To Drug Emporium, BP 137.
To post office, closed at 4:30!
To 17th Street, also now close at 4:30!
To Albertson’s, got macaroni & soup.
Hot, watered lawn.
Saturday, June 21, 1997
Not much sleep. Even took Melatonin, nothing.
BP OK, Vibol’s.
To post office, $1 each letter.
Dodgers won 11-0.
Slept a bit after eating.
Walked on West Cliff.
Bed early.
Sunday, June 22, 1997
Good sleep.
Tea, cereal. Longs, BP.
To Vibol’s, Clayton in. Second granddaughter born Thursday. 6 1/4 lbs.
Home. Worked on chain for bathroom basin.
Also made new garters for brown knee warmers.
TV: Part of Dodgers, X-Files, some news.
Larry wants to re-sod lawn?
Monday, June 23, 1997
Awake 8, up 9. Tea, toast.
Longs, then Vibol’s. Talked Pol Pot.
Vacuumed bedroom, walls, etc.
Lunch at Kmart, chicken sandwich.
To show, “My Best Friend's Wedding.” Funny, liked Rupert Everett. Had good lines.
Tuesday, June 24, 1997
Up 9:30. To Vibol’s til 11:30.
To Longs, then other BP. Good.
To Bank, got $200. T-Bill deposit!
Mail: Got package I mailed from England.
Took book to Larry. He not doing good!
TV: Law & Order.
Brian Keith shot himself. Cancer, emphysema.
Wednesday, June 25, 1997
Awake 6:30, up 8:30. Tea, cereal, fruit here.
Smog check. Now no coupon. Passed.
To Vibol’s.
Home 12:15. Unpacked package from London.
To Longs. BP, pix of DMV check.
Made tuna.
TV: News, baseball, Law & Order.
No sleep.
Friday, June 27, 1997
Awake 7:45, up 9. Ironed blouses.
Longs, checked BP. Got TV Guide.
To Vibol’s. Clayton in.
To Burger King, got fish to go.
Read papers, watered lawn, talked to Larry.
News, bed early.
Saturday, June 28, 1997
Awake 4, up 9:30. Longs, BP 161.
Breakfast: tea, egg, poached.
To Vibol’s.
To show, “Citizen Ruth.”
Took pix of sunset, S.C. beaches. People many.
McDonald’s: Got chicken sandwich, sundae.
Dodgers lost again.
Sunday, June 29, 1997
Up 10:30. Carla called. [Carla, pictured above, was one of my mother’s high school friends.]
To Vibol’s, Longs. BP 159.
Planted new plant.
TV: ST Voyager, 60 Minutes. News full of Hong Kong.
Taped ballet.
Monday, June 30, 1997
Awake to rain. Accidents on 101.
TV: Wimbledon, Seles lost a close one. Wet, slippery grass.
Longs for BP. To Vibol’s.
Home, wrote Justine.
Papers, crossword, up 12 to 4.
TV: Oldies: Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke, Odd Couple, Mr. Ed.
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