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In 1969 with her first grandchild, far left.
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In
tiny notebooks, my grandmother wrote each day when she woke, where she
ate breakfast, any movie she went to see, any mail and calls she
received, then what she read and watched on TV before bed.
In
1998, she was 82 and living alone in a mobile home park in Santa
Cruz, Calif., but I wouldn't describe her as lonely. She was an
extremely independent, frugal and persnickety woman whom I never knew to
live
with another person or even a pet after she raised my mother as a single
mother in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s. (I wrote more about
her life in this post.)
She lived close to the famous surfing spot Pleasure Point, and nearly
every day she walked to those cliffs to watch the ocean and anyone surfing it. When she died at 97
in 2013, I took her ashes to those waves with one of her friends, and
we
each dropped some ashes at the sand. A moment after I dropped mine, a
surfer
emerged from the water where I stood.
That was cool.
In April of 1998, she watched a lot of ice skating and pulled a lot of weeds in her yard while keeping up with all her pen pals, one of whom in London she made sure to buy Levi's jeans and Nike shoes for when they went on sale!
Wednesday, April 1, 1998
Up 8:45. Usual tea, chores.
Some work on cuttings.
Drug Emporium, paper.
McDonald’s, coffee.
Kmart, exchanged TV Guide.
Mail: Letter from Stimson with pics of his cat.
TV: Some Geraldo, Frasier, Yo-Yo Ma.
Bought Lotto.
Thursday, April 2, 1998
Awake 7:30. Tea. etc. Ready 10.
Walked cliff, cold.
Drug Emporium, got make-up.
TV: Mystery, Morse. First name is ”Endeavour.” Takes woman to all-nite hotel.
Got saw from Larry.
Saturday, April 4, 1998
Awake 6:30, up 8.
Tea, etc. To Drug Emporium.
Post office, letter to Prudy with clippings.
To show, “Mercury Rising.” Bruce Willis, autistic boy.
To Burger King, fish.
Groceries at Albertsons, Xerox at Longs.
Home, cut wood with hacksaw.
TV: Ice skating, Kwan barely won. Fell on axel.
Sunday, April 5, 1998
Not good sleep, felt half awake.
Breakfast at Kmart.
Looked at Sears, Gottschalk’s for pants, decided to use what I have, just lose weight.
TV: Part of 60 Minutes, Siskel and Ebert: Spanish Prison, good; Mercury Rising, not good.
Bed, tried to listen to French. Wrote Mimi.
Monday, April 6, 1998
Slept late!
Drug Emporium, got toenail clippers.
Library, read some of The New Yorker.
To show, “Men with Guns.” Good.
Home, food. Read papers.
Bed, got two Pollifax books at library.
Tuesday, April 7, 1998
Up 7 a.m. Tea, etc.
Laundromat. Man gave me Wisk soap. Ladies from Chicago gave me fabric softener.
Donut/coffee, home.
Chores, talked to Lois/Oscar.
To Kmart: Cheese sandwich, carrot cake, ice cream!
Home, finished Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist.
Pulled weeds.
TV: Frasier, old X-Files, Law & Order.
Wednesday, April 8, 1998
Some chores, washed brown sweater.
Walked cliff.
Drug Emporium, got TV Guide.
To mall: Coffee, Sears for bra.
Wrote Stimson, to post office. Got three 60-cent stamps.
Not much sleep. Fone calls, I presumed.
TV: Frasier, news.
Worked on letter to London.
Up 3 a.m., soup.
Slept maybe 4 hours.
Thursday, April 9, 1998
Up 8 a.m. Cold. Chores.
Wrote letter to Geneaology Society.
Mailed it in Scotts Valley, ate chicken at BK.
To show, “Primary Colors.” Enjoyed. Only 5 there.
Home via Lucky.
Mail: Charles Schwab, check from NY Bank.
TV: Mystery
Bed, slept good.
Friday, April 10, 1998
Up 8. Tea, etc.
Worked in yard, pulled weeds.
Fixed tuna, ate here.
To Drug Emporium, Kinko’s, post office.
Letter to Pearl re: Tortoise, to Rudy re Glendale therapist.
To Kmart, got carrot cake with ice cream!!
Home 4 p.m. news, chores.
Walked on cliff.
TV: Frasier, X-Files. Part of Albert Finney, “A Man of No Importance.”
Saturday, April 11, 1998
Rained in nite. Slept good. 1-2, 5-9.
Read “Mrs Pollifax Pursued,” third time.
To town 4:25 p.m. Library closes at 5 p.m. Returned Pursued, got fone of Greyhound in SF.
Walked a bit, nice day.
To post office, mailed IRS payment.
Home after stop at Trader Joe's.
TV: Travel, Oslo, Bergen.
Sunday, April 12, 1998
Awake 6, cold. Slept til 10.
Changed dust bag on vacuum.
Tennis 11 a.m. Pierce vs. Martinez. First set to tie break. Mary at net, good plays.
Golf: Mark O’Mera won Masters. Couples led most of time.
Vacuumed.
Finished Mrs. Pollifax Lion Killer.
Called Mina, not home, left message. She called back. Had good Easter with family.
Monday, April 13, 1998
Slept good. Awake 8:30, Tea, etc.
To Longs for paper, Xerox. BP high?
To post office, mailed two books to Mina.
To donut shop on Ocean Avenue.
To library. Returned book, got Greyhound times.
Mail: Letter from Mina with pix of cats.
To bank, got $200.
Home, some French tapes.
TV: News, Frasier.
More French.
Tuesday, April 14, 1998
Mailed letter to London.
Cold in night.
Awake 6, up 7 for tea, etc. Back to bed, too cold!
Ready 10 a.m. Drug Emporium TV Guide and BP.
To bank, out wrong way. Police in same exit! No ticket.
To BK, chicken sandwich.
Home, rested. Lawn mower! Swept.
Ran tape of Charles Bubbles.
Wednesday, April 15, 1998
Awake 5, up 8.
Swept Larry’s carport.
To Kmart for breakfast. Got two sweatshirts; 1 grey, 1 black. Also bag of redwood.
Home, tried on shirts. OK, men’s.
Library, looked for Aimee Semple McPherson, mutual funds, car racing.
Home, ate. Usual TV.
Bed early.
Thursday, April 16, 1998
Awake 6:45. Cold.
Heat, tea, etc.
Dug up roots of jasmine, but one big one.
10:30. Tea, toast.
Drug Emporium, BP. 115/88.
TJ’s, no chocolate.
To show, “City of Angels.” N. Cage, Meg Ryan.
Home, ate corn. Not real good.
Wrote Mimi. Sent newspaper clipping of out-of-wedlock daughter of Pres. Mitterrand.
TV: News, Frasier, Israel Philharmonic, Mystery.
Friday, April 17, 1998
Up 8, tea. Cold in a.m.
Worked in yard. Got root out. Planted periwinkle.
Ate here.
Bank, put money in Justine’s account.
To Kmart, ate carrot cake! & ice cream.
Got another bag of redwood mini chips.
Mail: Medicare, Fone co.
Called doctors in Scotts Valley, had argument.
TV: News, Frasier. Nothing unusual.
Saturday, April 18, 1998
Awake 7. Tea, etc.
To San Jose via Soquel, Summit Road.
Came back same way. Traffic light.
Lunch at Wendy’s.
To show, “Mrs. Dalloway.” Good actors. Hardy. Vanessa Redgrave.
Mail: Letter from Prudy.
Some French, papers.
Sunday, April 19, 1998
Up 7:30. Tea.
Worked in yard. Put out redwood chips.
Talked to Mina re Mitterrand.
Ate KFC. Longs, BP.
Drug Emporium, got vitamins.
Called Justine.
TV: Ice skating, news, Siskel & Ebert, part of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, w/ Sean Connery.
Ate soup, packed vitamins.
Monday, April 20, 1998
Awake 7:30, Tea, etc. Cold, heater.
Yard work again, used all redwood chips.
Lady here weeding, spoke to her about the bush at No. 27.
Wrote Mina. To post office, mailed letter to Paris.
Kmart, lunch.
Thrifty, got batteries for little magnifying glass.
Nothing good on TV.
Tuesday, April 21, 1998
Awake 3, up 7. Usual.
Drug Emporium, BP.
Goodwill, looked for pants, warm sweater.
Donut/coffee.
To Ross, Gottschalk’s, Penney’s, Mervyn’s, nothing.
No mail.
Hot today.
Man shot on Highway 17. Hit and run, then threatened cops.
TV: Frasier, Law & Order.
Tried on clothes. Bed after news.
Hot.
Wednesday, April 22, 1998
Awake 6:45. Usual.
To Kmart, got another (3rd) sack of redwood chips.
Sears, paid bill. $53.66 Then bought pair of brown pants.
Coffee, talked to friends of Lily. They saw her Sunday.
Lost part of paper. To library, no luck.
Thursday, April 23, 1998
Up 7:30. Cold. No heat.
Wrote Mina.
Called contractor, $25 to fix. He can do it when I’m not here.
Raining.
To post office, then library. Read yesterday’s paper re shooting on 17.
Home, read more.
TV: Mystery, “Unsuitable Job for a Woman.”
Friday, April 24, 1998
Up 8. Usual tea.
No heat, some warm water. Most places in mall no gas.
Got coffee, read paper.
Home, sewed fur collar.
PG&E came about 3:30, turned pilot off.
Ate here, tired.
TV: Frasier, news.
Bed, some papers. Slept good.
Saturday, April 25, 1998
Awake 5, up 8. Tea, etc.
Worked in yard 9:30 to 10:30.
Chores.
Kmart, BP. Got snail bait, TV Guide.
To show, “The Locket.” Old, 1946. Robert Mitchum.
Mail: Notice from Treasury. Called to renew.
Mina called. Talked long, Beanie babies.
Some TV. Crossword.
Sunday, April 26, 1998
Awake 5, up 6:30. Tea.
Worked in yard 8-9.
Kmart, gas. To 41st donut shop.
To show, “Spanish Prisoner.” Good.
Library, found info for Mina.
Lunch BK.
Home, foned Mina, left word.
TV: “Merlin.” Magic.
Read Mrs. Pollifax until 2 a.m.
Electric blanket doesn’t work.
(Mina called Sunday 5/3. Had not received letter.)
Monday, April 27, 1998
Up 7:30. Usual.
Washed beige sweater.
Tried to find problem with electric blanket.
Drug Emporium, got isopropyl alcohol, tuna.
Mall, got clips for hangers.
To Kmart for lunch, checked for electric blanket. Have a 5-year warranty.
Worked in yard, Grass cut, I did some edging.
Some French after Frasier.
Tuesday, April 28, 1998
Get travelers checks.
Get bday card for Yvonne.
Up 7:30. Watered lawns. Ready 9:15.
Mailed Mina's books, 2 Pollifax.
Longs, BP, tuna.
Mervyn’s, got credit for blanket. Bought new one, not electric.
Home. News, ironed.
Kmart. No TV Guides.
TV: “The Painted Lady” w/Helen Mirren.
Wednesday, April 29, 1998
Get maps out.
Awake 6 a.m., yard work til 9:30.
Contractor (Scandinavian) worked on plug. Finished 11 a.m.
Got donut/coffee.
Mervyn’s saw sale on Levi’s. Called Sandra 1 p.m. Not there.
2:30, Sandra again. She said get Nike 10.5, pants 34 by 34.
To dinner, English woman sat by me.
Back to Mervyn’s. Home 5:40 p.m.
TV: News, Geraldo, Frasier.
Bed early. Slept good.
Thursday, April 30, 1998
Rent.
Up, ready, to Laundromat.
Home. Shower/hair. Wrote Sandra.
Noticed UK shoe sizes smaller, back to Mervyn’s. Got bigger size, 11.5.
Paid rent, to post office.
TV: Frasier, Mystery.
Windy, cloudy. Rain late in a.m.
Tired.
