Justine Frederiksen: That was Cool

Saturday, December 14, 2024

My Grandmother's Journals: December, 1999. When grandma met my husband, but didn't write him a review!

My husband posing with my grandmother, right, in 2012.

This is the month my grandmother first met my husband, and thinking about that night still makes him laugh.

Since it was December, we drove around after dinner looking at everyone’s Christmas lights. At first, my grandmother sat quietly in the passenger seat, but after my husband made a few turns she didn’t agree with, she finally asked, in a polite tone I didn’t recognize: “I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but do you know where you are going?”

I know how he felt meeting her because he still chuckles about it, but unfortunately my grandmother didn’t write any impressions of him in her journal that day, only mentioning that we had an expensive dinner (in a small place!!) downtown. And since she never said anything to me about him, either, I never knew what she thought of him, always assuming her impression was not good because she never said anything nice about him.

But soon after she died, one of her friends told me that not only did she like my husband, she really liked him, as in “he was the kind of man she would have been attracted to when she was younger!” I’m still not sure how I feel about her having a crush on my husband, though I suppose it is better than thinking she didn't like him, especially since he was so good about taking care of her when she got much older and needed more and more help.

Though she didn’t write much about my husband-to-be, thankfully she did write plenty about the rest of her daily life, noting each morning what time she woke up, then recording all her meals, any phone calls and mail she received, and if she went to see a movie before settling down with the television and a crossword puzzle before bed.

That was cool.

Because I love reading her journals. And not just because she was my grandmother, but because I find all of the details this frugal and persnickety woman shared about her days to be a relaxing and comforting tonic. And maybe you will, too?

The entries below are from December of 1999, when she was an 84-year-old woman living alone in a trailer park. But don’t feel sorry for her, because she wasn’t sad, and neither was her home — she was the most fiercely independent person I have ever known, living in one of the most beautiful places I have known: Santa Cruz, California.

(I wrote more about her life in this post)

Along with meeting my husband-to-be, she watched a lot of football that month, checked a lot of emails at the library, and was keeping a close watch on news reports about the pending "Y2k" disaster as the year 2000 quickly approached.

November entries.

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 1999

Not good sleep.

Up 8:30, breakfast usual.

To Albertsons for milk, jam, peanut butter. Made 1/2 sandwich with.

To library. Got Leaves of Grass, checked email.

Justine sent two messages: One a report of one lost, another re History of NYC.

TIRED. Home.

TV: M.S. Wrote, Lehrer, Due South, JAG.

Bed 8:30.

Up 10:55, watched 11 news. Up 2:30, 4:30, 7:30.

Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999

Put infra heat on knees, works good.

Swept for cobwebs on ceilings.

First walked on cliff. Saw Fred (X-Mas, he said).

Got paper, to Credit Union for calendar. Different.

To Kmart, got purse. (Black). Also got ear muff.

Rainy. Stopped by mailboxes, too busy. Left.

Home, lunch. CNN, MSW, Lehrer.

More heat.

Bedroom, Due South, JAG.

Too warm to sleep. Up 2, 5, 8.

Friday, Dec. 3, 1999

Give pkg of clothes to Goodwill.

Up 8, out 10:30!

To Longs, got soup.

To Orchard, got heat lamp for Sister Grace.

Home, CNN.

Mail: Letter from Myra.

To show, "Sleepy Hollow." Special effects.

To Kmart for blue purse.

Saturday, Dec. 4, 1999

Not good sleep. Took melatonin about 2.

Up 8. Tea, no bananas.

To Longs for cholesterol. 193, good.

He said his father bribed man for passing grade on driver's test. Also talked to another "Yvonne."

To Penney's, got blue purse and beige, sleeveless sweater.

To KFC. Home 2 p.m., rested til 3.

To library first, message from Justine. Sent to Carla.

Home, ate here, ran more of NYC history.

Bed 9, crossword.

Sunday, Dec. 5, 1999

Justine & Chris? Or tomorrow.

Awake 5:30. Cold, and dark.

Up 6:30, Usual breakfast, no bananas.

Shower, haircut.

Ate sandwich.

Football: 49ers vs. Bengals, 44 to 30.

Justine called, left message: dinner! They will pick me up so I don't have to drive in the dark.

TV: Ebert, news, a little bit of Patrick Stewart in Xmas Card.

Bed, awake 11, watched news.

Slept heavy til 2:30. Back to sleep til 8, drowsy.

Monday, Dec. 6, 1999

Up 8:15, usual; breakfast. Bananas green.

To bank for balance, Kmart for gas.

To Thrift Shop, Bazaar. Bought two items, talked to man.

Home, changed. Watched more NYC.

Chris and Justine arrived.

To Santa Cruz bazaar, got plate. Ate, $61! at small place on Cedar.

Looked at lites, home.

Dateline, took melatonin.

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 1999

Awake 6, then 8:45. Usual breakfast, out 10!

Sister Grace arrived, gave her heat lamp.

Finished letter to Myra by 11:30.

Lunch, news, wrapped pkg to Justine: NYC and C's pix with note.

To Drug Emporium and post office.

Paid Visa, drove a bit to find large houses.

Home. Put black enamel on bumper.

Read papers til news, no Due South, old Law & Order.

Mail: Card from Pearl.

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1999

Up 6, usual breakfast.

To laundromat, Drug Emporium and Trader Joe's.

Home, tired. Read papers, crossword, etc.

Usual TV.

Slept afternoon, not much, still tired.

Rain forecast tomorrow.

Bed 10. L&O, 11 news.

Rain in night.

Thursday, Dec. 9, 1999

Up 7, usual breakfast.

Walked West Cliff.

To bank, took out $300.

To Kmart, home 12:30.

Read papers, threw away some items.

TV & papers. Bed 10:30.

Friday, Dec. 10, 1999

Slept good, 11:30 to 6. Up once!

Breakfast usual, ironed.

Wrote check to cable co, letter to Pearl.

To McDonald's for coffee, Live Oak not open til 12 on Friday.

To Branciforte library, checked email. Message from Carla, did not get results of blood test for herpes yet.

Talked to man, liberal. "Jim Hightower."

Home after stopping for sandwich at KFC.

Mail: Package from McCoys with coffee, biscotti. $8.95??

Did washing, crossword. Read papers.

To bed, slept fair.

Cold.

Saturday, Dec. 11, 1999

Up 8, usual breakfast*

Sunday, December 8, 2024

The weirdly wonderful Word Jazz: What kid would play a record with a guy crunching celery? A desperate one like me!

My parents had this weird record I loved playing when I was a kid, especially a track where the guy crunches on crackers and celery.

I first listened to the album because I was desperate. With no screen to watch because we didn’t have a TV, my sister and I were usually starved for entertainment.

So when I couldn’t go outside exploring, I would search the house for treasures, often digging through our parents records looking for anything interesting. And nothing looked more interesting than the cover of “Word Jazz,” the most weirdly wonderful record I've played.

That was crazy cool.

Released in the 1950s, it features Ken Nordine speaking while jazz music plays, and most of the tracks did not interest me (especially since I have never liked jazz!) But “Hunger is From” has him sneaking into the kitchen for a midnight snack, something so simple even a kid could understand and enjoy. (You can listen to that track and see the cover of the album here.)

As I listened to him eat, I imagined going into our kitchen and finding my dream foods: Creamy Skippy peanut butter that I could slather on buttery Ritz crackers, a snack my friend's mom always made for us after school that was never offered in my house, because my mother only bought the oily “natural” peanut butter.

But why I really loved that record is because I loved hearing people tell stories.

My favorite memory of childhood, and still one of my favorite memories ever, was when my mother read my sister and I the entire Lord of the Rings series, starting with The Hobbit.

And I loved the experience of having pictures painted in my head by a human voice so much that I begged her every night to read more. And when the series was finally done, I began a lifelong quest for more stories.

In the house I found comic book records, the soundtrack for Disney's Alice in Wonderland, and even a recording of Peter and the Wolf.

On the radio I found some songs that quenched my thirst, and whenever they came on the radio I would plant myself next to one of the large speakers in the living room, sitting cross-legged with one ear against the speaker so I could be fully immersed in the stories the singers were telling on tracks like: “Rocky Raccoon,” by the Beatles, “El Paso” by Marty Robbins, or even “Steppin’ Out” by Joe Jackson.

But the best stories were on Saturdays, when a station in San Francisco would air old radio dramas like Gunsmoke and Suspense, though we could only get good reception in the car, so we would beg our mom to take us birding so we could sit and listen to them while she looked for birds.

Most of the week, though, while I waited for my mom to come home from work, it was just me and Ken, he eating celery and me dreaming of Ritz crackers with the “good” peanut butter, not the gritty “natural” stuff my mom bought.

Illustration by Dell Linney

Another escape I coveted as a kid without a television was the laundromat, which offered my version of Saturday morning cartoons: Watching my clothes drying.

Read more about that in this previous post: Requiem for a laundromat.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Note to The Bird Club: "The girls will remember the outpouring of love and sympathy"

My favorite photo of my mother was taken for a newspaper story on the annual Christmas Bird Count in Santa Cruz County.

Since she is birding along the ocean (her favorite activity at her favorite place), the photo captures the most wonderful expression on her face: joy and pride mixed with a bit of shyness at being photographed.

I love having that moment forever frozen in time, her eyes shining behind her binoculars with a piece of hair caught in the wind. And my grandmother must have loved that photo, too, because after my mother died, she ordered a print from the newspaper so we could bring that shy smile home again to see whenever we wanted.

That was cool.

But even cooler might be what I discovered when I finally decided to get that picture properly framed earlier this year: It was a note tucked behind the picture, a typed thank-you letter written by my grandmother 40 years ago, shortly after the gathering that was held after my mother's memorial, which was attended by many members of the Santa Cruz Bird Club:

11-6-85 Note to Bird Club:

The family of C.F. would like to express their appreciation for the affection evident by the work needed at the Aptos get-together.

The girls will remember the outpouring of love and sympathy and hopefully it will help the healing.

To everyone who made the trek to Wilder Ranch and/or contributed to the afternoon potluck - thank you a million times.

And she was right. I still remember the love and sympathy I felt from their hugs that day. And yes, it did help me heal.

Also, her binoculars still help me heal:

https://thatwascooladdress.blogspot.com/2024/09/birding-for-mom-why-i-not-only-kept.html

Friday, November 1, 2024

My Grandmother's Journals: November, 1999. "No sleep. Took too many vitamins??"

Grandma “camping” in the 1950s.

Need some calm? Does a soothing routine of “usual breakfast, coffee at McDonald’s” and catching a movie before picking up a pot pie at KFC for dinner sound good?

Then spend a few days with my grandmother, who fastidiously wrote down each morning what time she woke up, then noted any phone calls, mail and what movie she went to see before settling down with the television and a crossword puzzle before bed.

That was cool.

Because I love reading her journals. And not just because she was my grandmother, but because I love all of the details this frugal and persnickety woman shared about her days. And maybe you will, too?

The entries below are from November, 1999, when she was an 84-year-old woman living alone in a trailer park. But don’t feel sorry for her, because she wasn’t sad, and neither was her home — she was the most fiercely independent person I have ever known, living in one of the most beautiful places I have known: Santa Cruz, California.

(I wrote more about her life in this post)

Grandma didn’t fly anywhere this month (yes, she was still traveling overseas by herself in her 80s and appeared to be considering a trip to Tahiti!), but she did drive several hours to Southern California to visit with friends while corresponding regularly with all the others via snail and electronic mail, and of course watched plenty of football and tennis while eating lots of fast food and going to see a movie most days of the week.

October entries.

Monday, Nov. 1, 1999 - To Myra’s

Call State Highway for 101.

Awake 6, usual breakfast. Packed, watered.

To Santa Maria. Got paper, gas. Overflowed.

Soledad 10:30. McDonald’s, $1.53. Left 11.

Santa Maria 1:40 p.m. Work on Cuesta Pass, warm day.

Out for dinner, ate KFC.

TV: Due South.

Called SF. 3 mins, $4.85.

Bed, not good sleep.

Tuesday, Nov. 2, 1999 - At Myra’s

Breakfast fruit and cereal.

To Food for Less, $1 place. Got broom and soup.

To Walmart, got vitamins. $39.

Back to Myra’s, ate soup and apricot, peanut butter sandwich.

Myra fixed good dinner, sole and baked potato, squash.

Bed early, up 3 times.

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1999 - To Mina’s

Up 6:30. Fixed breakfast myself.

Packed, left 9:30. Got gas, air.

Stopped at Andersen’s, Santa Claus.

Heavy traffic last 2 hours to Mina’s

Got pot pie at KFC.

Library, home 1:40 p.m.

TV, bed, called Myra.

Thursday, Nov. 4, 1999 - At Mina’s

Up 7, talked. Breakfast at Polly’s 10-11.

Got new tweezers and sink stopper.

Home, more talk.

To Mexican grocery, got Scott’s tissue, paper towels, fruit, soup and celery.

Home, talked more.

Bed 9, not good sleep. Up 3 times.

Called Carole.

Friday, Nov. 5, 1999

Up 6:30, packed, dressed. Out by 9.

Gas for car, McDonald’s, 9:30 on freeway.

On 5, blew something. Smoke, power loss. OK on level road.

101 at 2 p.m., Camp Roberts rest area 2:10 p.m.

Oil light on, stopped near Bradley.

Los Lobos, man stopped, found top in car.

To service station, got five quarts oil.

Stopped in Soledad, got cake. Traffic bad.

To Monterey Peninsula, got gas.

To Hwy 1, more traffic.

Home 6 p.m.

Called Mina, balanced books.

Saturday, Nov. 6, 1999

Slept good, first in four days!

Washed car, watered lawn

To bank, got balance.

To show, “The Insider,” Al Pacino, story about CBS’ Mike Wallace, tobacco co.

Ate KFC, got sandwich.

To library, checked emails. 2 from H.

Home, dinner.

TV: News, Bones, part of Bio of Gary Cooper.

Bed, crossword.

Sunday, Nov. 7, 1999

Up 7:30, to Albertsons: Milk, veggies.

Breakfast, some TV cartoons.

Football: Rams 27, Lions 31.

Completed forms for note transfers, charted stocks.

SF 6, Pittsburgh 27. Terrible rain, 68 here.

Changed to golf, Back to the Future.

Carole called, talked about 1 hour! S back in jail again, she did not check with parole officer.

Tiger won on a playoff, Hole 17.

Bed 8, slept 8 hours.

Rain stopped by 8.

Monday, Nov. 8, 1999

Up 5, usual breakfast. Shower/hair.

To OSH, had 2 keys made.

To Longs for Xerox, Trader Joe’s for groceries.

Home: Lunch, news, some work in house, washing.

TV: Murder She Wrote, Lehrer, CBS Insider discussed.

Read papers, some kitchen cleaning, cabinets.

Football: Cowboys vs. Vikings, 17-27

TV: Becker, news.

Bed 10:30. Up 1, 3, 5.

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 1999

Auction for 5-year notes.

Breakfast 6:30, laundromat 7:30.

Kmart, breakfast again. Got PJs, muffins, etc.

Home 11. News, changed clothes.

To town, library. Message from Carla, sent messages to her and H.

To Show, “Being John Malcovich.” Great fantasy.

Home 5:30. Ate, gathered info for Carole.

TV: News, Lehrer, JAG.

Bed.

Wednesday, Nov. 10, 1999

Up 7, cold.Usual breakfast.

Read papers, crossword, etc. Out 10:30.

To Carole's, not home. To KFC.

Home, Murder. Called Carole, gave rates, etc.

Out to show, “The Bone Collector.”

Home 6:30, message on machine from Carole.

Mail: Card from Myra, thanks.

Ate carrots, cauliflower, etc.

TV: News, 1/2 Due South, JAG, Law & order.

Readied for bed, West Wing, L & O, news.

Slept 11:30 to 7 a.m.

Thursday, Nov. 11, 1999

Get TV Guide. Banks closed.

Breakfast usual, some washing.

Cleaned, recorded items under sink, cleaned kitchen floor.

To Drug Emporium.

To Carole’s, talked.

Home 1:30. Ate, read papers,

TV: Due South, locked in Bank Vault.

Turned on sprinklers.

No mail, Vets day.

Reruns. Read Merc News, Life.

Bed 10:30. Up 1-3-7

Friday, Nov. 12, 1999

Usual breakfast, ironed some. Ready 10:40.

To bank to check balance, to Kmart.

Hot.

To Blockbuster, got “Notting Hill,” “Blue Velvet.”

To BofA, deposited money.

Lost keys from fender.

Home, ran Notting Hill. No Due South. [Justine here: That is the 11th time she watched Notting Hill!]

TV: JAG, Frasier, news.

Sleep not good.

Saturday, Nov. 13, 1999

Foggy.

Up 8:15, usual breakfast. Out 10.

To Trader Joe’s, Albertsons, looked for keys.

Home 10:30. Tea, muffin, read some papers to catch up.

Had lunch, ran Notting Hill again. [12th time!]

To library ar 3:45, waited until 4:30 to get on Internet.

Message from Justine, had both upper wisdom teeth out. No pain. Had to give program for guitar.

Message from Carla, Steve back.

Home 5 p.m., ate some, surfed channels.

Ran “Blue Velvet.” 2 hours. Sex, nudity. What year??

Sunday, Nov. 14, 1999

Awake 6, up 7. Breakfast usual.

Fog, cold, returned Blue Velvet.

To Longs, groceries, calendar!

To 41st, walked on cliff.

To Kmart, checking for key.

Home 10:20. Tennis: Lindsay D. over Hingis.

Changed calendar.

Football: 49ers 6, Saints 24. First time beat 49ers in five years.

Next Vikings 27, Bears 24. OT, both missed FGs.

Various chores. Swept part of side with new broom, put the boxes under plastic.

Donkey tail in bad shape, no water.

TV: Taped NYC History on PBS, watched X-Files??

Bed 10:30.

Ebert movie reviews:

Anywhere But Here, both thumbs up.

Pokemon, one up, one down.

Dogma, one up, one down.

Felicia’s Journey, both thumbs up.

Monday, Nov. 15, 1999

Money to be deducted?

Up 8, usual breakfast.

To Drug Emporium, got eye herbs, aspirin.

To KFC for lunch.

Message from Carla, sent one to her and Justine.

Showered/hair.

Mailed check to Fed, also to H & Justine.

Taped two hours more of NYC.

Watched 10 o’clock news.

Put Lysol on basin.

Bed 11:30. Not good sleep.

Tuesday, Nov. 16, 1999

Up 8 a.m., usual breakfast. Wrote Mina, ready by 11.

To McDonald’s, then Gottschalk’s, bought an Alfred Donner top.

Home 12, wrote Mimi and Andra.

Lunch, Murder She Wrote.

Storm arrived, windy and heavy rain first.

To post office to mail letter and get stamps. Raining.

TV: Lehrer, no Due South, JAG.

Mail: Junk.

Bed 10, fair sleep.

Rained in night.

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 1999

Dentist 10 a.m. Up 6:30, usual breakfast.

Cleaned roof corners: Caked dirt, soot.

Ellie on porch, has furnace man. Smell of gas. “Blue Flame.”

To dentist. Cleaning, "examination." $94.60, $105.11 - 10%

Cleaner $66? Claudia. #10 tooth needs attention, decay under filling.

Dentist bills in 1999 til now: $3,013.20.

TV: Taped 4th part of NYC, worked on crossword.

Slept 10:30 to 5.

Thursday, Nov. 18, 1999

Awake 5:30, up 8. Cold, usual breakfast.

(Dentist appt on Thursday)

Made order for Puritan's Pride.

Called re Tahiti trip, no singles or pay double!

Wrote Myra and Sy, finished crossword.

Gardeners here!

Lunched here.

To Scotts Valley, got TV Guide at Kmart.

To show, “Dogma.”

TV: News, Due South, L&O. Taped NYC.

Bed 10:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 19, 1999

Up 7. Cold. Got out winter pants, etc.

To Drug Emporium, got paper.

Fone calls in a.m. Steam cleaning, two in phone book.

Readied letters to Visa, returned Platinum card.

Looked for 720 Bay Road, asked at 720 opposite Shell. Info wrong.

Raining heavy.

Home. Lunch, Murder She Wrote, news.

Mailed letters to, library. 2 messages from H, one from Justine.

Saturday, Nov. 20, 1999

Usual breakfast. Out 9:30.

To Auto Spa, 720 Capitola Avenue.

Then to Nob Hill, veg market.

Auto charged me $35 each.

Got coffee/donut. Got paper, but no sports!

To Gottschalk's. Got jeans, black hat, fancy bobby pins. Discount 20%!!!

Amounted to $56.15-11.23=44.92.

Home, lunch. Ran 2nd segment of Bravo, "Soldier's Story."

Bed, but woke 12. Crossword til 1:30.

Sunday, Nov. 21, 1999

Awake 5, then 8.

Researched Toulouse-Lautrec.

10: Lions 17, GB 26

11: Hingis V. Davenport.

Lunch, packed vitamins.

49ers 7, Rams 22.

Read Toulouse-Lautrec.

Ran more tape of NYC, "Draft Riot."

TV: News, L&O, Ebert:

Sleepy Hollow, one thumb up, one down.

42 Up, two thumbs up.

Bond: World Is Not Enough, one thumb up, one sideways.

Mansfield Park, two thumbs up.

Rosetta (Belgium, hand-held camera), two thumbs up.

Monday, Nov. 22, 1999

Slept good 4:30 to 8:30. Did not hear garbage trucks!!!

Usual breakfast. Shower/hair. Walked cliff.

To KFC, got gas.

Home, eyes hurt from glare.

Carole called, invite for dinner Thursday. R and husband cooking.

Some ironing, read paper, some work.

TV: News, Due South, CNN, PBS Documentary Apocalypse. Very interesting. 9-11

News, bed.

Tuesday, Nov. 23, 1999

Up 7, 9 a.m. Dentist.

#10 front tooth. $178.20 ($198 - 10%)

Coffee/donut, then Gottschalk’s. Big sale! Nothing I wanted.

Home. News, lunch, Murder She Wrote.

Worked on clothes 3 to 5. Putting summer away, taking out winter. Tired!

TV: No Due South, Jag (2). Lehrer.

Bed 10. Crossword, papers.

Sleep 11:30 til 5:30, then 8.

Wednesday, Nov. 24, 1999

Get grapes? Something to bring to Carole's.

Breakfast late. To Abertsons, got grapes, etc.

Then to Kmart. Got crackers and turkey club sandwich.

Home. More work on packing clothes in suitcase. Tried to put keys to locks.

Lost watch?

TV: Lehrer, news, Jag, West Wing.

Slept 11:30 to 1:30, then 5:30.

Thursday, Nov. 25, 1999

Up 8, usual breakfast. Read some papers.

Out 10 to Kmart. Got watch w/date, supposedly fluorescent.

To Cypress, closed. No mailslot.

Home, worked on clothes. Mended beige pants.