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| Age 12, recital at her orphanage in 1928 |
In 1998, she turned 83 while living alone in a mobile home park in Santa Cruz, Calif. I never perceived her as lonely, though I never knew her to live with another person or even a pet after she raised my mother on her own 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 September of 1998, my grandmother turned 83, was closely following the coverage of the Starr Report on then-president Bill Clinton (a man whose financial policies she liked because they helped her bank account grow), and preparing to take me to New York City with her.
Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998
Awake 7:30, tennis 8 a.m.
Graf won, many unforced errors in second set.
Drug Emporium: BP, TV Guide, trail mix.
To Logo’s with books. Did not take “Reflected Glory.”
Home. Hot!
Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998
Awake 7:30. Watered lawn.
U.S. Open. Graf won, Seles won. Serena won, Chang won.
To Penney’s sale, no good. Ate burrito.
To Gottschalks, got beige 3/4 raincoat.
Home, news. Rain cancelled tennis.
TV: A bit of Geraldo, Law & Order.
Friday, Sept. 4, 1998
Awake 4, radio 5.
Tea, read papers. Tennis at 8.
Breakfast at Kmart.
10, TV again: Graf, Seles won.
TV: A&E, LA Detectives. Serena Williams lost.
Took melatonin at 1:30, felt effects until noon.
Saturday, Sept. 5, 1998
Tennis til 1 p.m.
Venus won, opponent had sore back.
Kmart for ice cream. Very hot today.
Read a bit.
TV: Taped Planet of the Apes, plus four sequels: Beneath, Escape, Conquest, Battle for.
No sleep til 1 a.m.
Monday, Sept. 7, 1998
Rain, 2 hrs, 5 min.
Up 7:30 Walked cliff.
Drug Emporium for BP, got trail mix.
Tennis, rain delay. Venus won, Sampras won.
Agassi vs Karl Kucera. KK repeatedly threw ball up, annoyed Agassi.
Watched ape movies til 11:30. Slept to 5 am!
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 1998
Tennis: Agassi lost, Seles lost.
To Drug Emporium: BP, got TV Guide.
Home, wrote Mina, two pages.
Some tennis, read papers.
No TV til 10 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1998
Cloudy, cold. Bits of rain in night.
Tennis: Davenport won, rain delay. Venus won. Sampras won.
Finished watching apes (Escape).
TV: X-Files, 1/2 hour.
News, bed. Good sleep.
Thursday, Sept. 10, 1998
Awake 6:45. Usual. Paid IRS.
News: Starr report sent yesterday, much made of it. To go on Internet.
Walked on cliff, talked to 90-year-old (in May). Lived in Oakland, family from Italy, near Pisa.
To Longs for BP, Xerox. McDonald’s for coffee.
TV: News Special on JFK, “The Dark Side of Camelot.”
Friday, Sept. 11, 1998.
Tennis cut for Clinton. CBS program cut in for “special” reading of Starr report so we missed first two sets. I called Ch. 46 to complain, they said talk to New York.
Almost every station has to say something about the report!
To show, “Rounders.” Good.
Mail: Cards from Prudy, Linda. [It was the day before her 83rd birthday].
Tennis: Davenport over Williams. 6/4, 6/4
Saturday, Sept. 12, 1998 - Her birthday, turned 83
Up 7:15. Usual
Walked on cliff, hot.
Longs, BP OK.
Tennis: Davenport vs. Hingis, Lindsay did good!
Lunch at KFC, sandwich & coleslaw.
To show, “Slums of Beverly Hills.” Gross!
Mail: Package from Mina, video of BBC show on Diana.
Sunday, Sept. 13, 1998
Up 8 a.m. Packed vitamins, watered lawns.
To Trader Joe’s, McDonald’s for coffee.
Home 12:30 p.m. Ironed pants.
To post office, mailed post cards to Prudy, Linda, Mina.
TV: Some NFL, Judge Judy, Siskel & Ebert.
Discovery, Ancient Inventions, Terry Jones. Very funny. Taped more segments.
Monday, Sept. 14, 1998
Awake 5 a.m. Ate breakfast, to laundromat.
Got gas at Kmart.
Foned Ch. 11 to get ABC special, they said to call NYC. I did, ringing but funny noise, no answer.
Football: Indians vs. 49ers, 49ers won 45 to 10.
TV: Law & Order, Bio: Christina Onasis
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 1998
Up 6:30. Shower/hair.
Drug Emporium for BP, good.
Library, read half of NY Times Magazine article re Mr. Starr.
To show,”"Saving Private Ryan.” 3 hours. Good.
Home.
TV: About 5 minutes of Geraldo, then Morse, Law & Order.
Read papers, crossword.
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1998
Slept good, awake 7:30. Usual breakfast.
Some reports favor Clinton, reporters give excuses!
Worked on bush clippings. Talked to manager re Larry. Gave her typed info.
Called library to renew books.
Called SF MOMA: Thursday is half-price, first Tuesday of every month is free.
TV: Jim Lehrer, “The Gods Must be Crazy.”
Thursday, Sept. 17, 1998
Awake 2-4-8. Usual breakfast, chores.
Watered lawn, finished bagging clippings.
To Longs, got muffins, tuna.
Home, made tuna salad, watched news.
Packed vitamins, rested one hour.
Fixed package for Justine: Sonoma arts brochure, 401K, lecithin.
To post office, library.
Home after sundae at McDonald’s.
Friday, Sept. 18, 1998
Awake 6:45. Heat needed.
Usual breakfast: Cereal, no bananas. Took potassium pill.
To bank, McDonald’s.
Looked at Gottschalks, nothing.
Home 11:15 a.m. Ate, news, read papers.
Worked on blue top, made shoulder seams tighter.
Some TV: Law & Order, ran tape of Three Tenors.
Bed 11. Hot, uncomfortable.
Saturday, Sept. 19, 1998
Awake 6:30. Ate usual.
Washed car, watered lawn. Talked to Ellie.
To Orchard, got weed killer, bark.
To McDonald’s for coffee/donut.
To library, read T.S. Eliot memoirs, turned in.
To Kmart for lunch, tried on jeans. Nothing.
Home. Wound clock, oiled furnace.
TV: Giants over Dodgers, 18-4. Ran Three Tenors.
Sunday, Sept. 20, 1998
Awake 5, then 7. Usual.
Kmart for breakfast, walked on cliff.
Worked in yard, sprayed weeds. Spiders in bush in back.
Read papers, charted stocks.
Football: Miami over Pittsburgh. Tried to fix blue top.
TV: Ebert & Siskel, 60 mins, X-Files.
Monday, Sept. 21, 1998
Awake 6, started taping Clinton grand jury.To be 4 hours.
Cut bush in back til 10 a.m.
Changed, to Longs, BP OK. Coffee at McDonald’s.
Cut part of bush in back, then again from 1:30 to 2:31.
Shower/hair, papers.
TV: Clinton, received standing ovation.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 1998
Up 6:30, heat. usual.
To Longs, BP good. Got Dinty Moore (3).
To library, NY Magazine gone! Put in request for it. Read Barrons, Opera.
To Kmart for lunch.
Mail: New Yorker, NYC info.
Wrote Justine, took to post office.
TV: A bit of Geraldo, Law & Order, news: Starr and Lewinsky.
Couldn’t sleep. Had milk & toast at 2 a.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 1998
Bed til 9. Chores, walked on cliff.
To Vitamin Center, $16 for alfalfa, 550 pills. Drug Emporium has 500 for $7.44. None at Longs or Rite Aid.
Home, news, ate peaches,milk, etc.
Worked three hours on NYC info.
Tried on clothes, decided to wear black, brown change.
TV: Watched Frasier, taped A&E, Hilary & Bill Clinton.
Thursday, Sept. 24, 1998
Up 8 a.m. Viv called 9:05.
Longs, BP machine down.
To Ocean Street donut.
To Civic Center, got tickets for Seniorama, $12 each.
To library, read Times magazine.
TV: News, Frost, “Executive Decision,” Kurt Russell.
Bed 11:30. Not good sleep!
Friday, Sept. 25, 1998
Awake 5 a.m. then 8. Chilly, read some.
Myra left vitamin bottle.
Called NY Times. After 3 calls, cost $10.75 for that mag, got entire paper. Girl suggested I read it at library.
To Drug Emporium, looking for soap.
Home 11:40. Some news, foned Myra.
Cleaned front window! Must be years. Discarded dried flowers from previous tenant. Put Larry’s bird in their place.
To Live Oak, sat with lady from Shanghai.
Home. News, read T. S. Eliot.
Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998
Awake 6:30. Usual breakfast. Sewed garter.
To Drug Emporium, got crackers. BP high.
To Viv’s. Was there 12:15, she not ready til 12:30. No money, I paid.
Raining, a bit late to show. 2 hours, mostly good. [She doesn't say which movie!]
Back to Viv’s. Tea, talked til 4:45.
Home, dinner, news, balanced books.
TV: part of America’s Most Wanted.
Bed, crossword. Slept OK. Took melatonin. No REM.
Sunday, Sept. 27, 1998
Awake 7, usual breakfast. Finished crossword.
Chores, typed NYC info.
Mina called, long talk.
To Ocean Street donut.
Got flu shot.
Football: Raiders 13, Dallas 12; 49ers vs Atlanta, 31-20. Denver over Redskins, Chiefs over Eagles.
TV: News, Siskel & Ebert, cannot get Ch. 54.
Monday, Sept. 28, 1998
Call re bus to Manhattan.
Awake 6, usual breakfast.
Library, returned 3 books.
Home, meeting with manager: shed, can paint or remove at park’s expense; can wash car in space. Forgot to ask about fertilizing.
Ate at KFC, Ocean Street donut before library.
Home, sewed blue top and watched Bio on Gene Hackman.
TV: Geraldo had Joe Degeneres, Alan Dershowitz, got into argument, Joe called Alan a liar. Very angry.
Taped opera, Samson & Delilah.
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1998
Slept heavy. Flu shot?
Up 6, ate usual. Refrig empty.
Called hotel, packed case.
To bank, put Viv’s check in, $12.
To McDonald’s at mall. Lily there. Had growth removed. Heavier, moves slower! Glad to see her. To Laughlin in November.
Wrote Justine. Got ice cream!
To Live Oak, Viv and I disagreed about Aptos.
TV: Morse, repeat.
Bed 9:30. Still tired!
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 1998
Fair sleep. Awake 6, heat needed.
Usual breakfast, Jacks. Chores.
Drug Emporium for paper, Ocean Street donut.
To library, research for Mina.
Took ride to Aptos, Rancho Del Mar, “Aptos Village.” Some stores still there.
Home, ate. Some TV. Taped: Eastwood Jazz at Carnegie Hall. 5 hours.
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