My Grandmother's Journals: Life of a frugal, independent woman at 79. January, 1995

My grandmother in the 1990s.

Every day my grandmother wrote down what time she woke up, where she ate breakfast (at places like McDonald's, Burger King and Kmart) what movie she went to see, what mail and phone calls she received, what she read and what she watched on TV before going to sleep.

In 1995, she was 79 years old and living alone in a mobile home park. I wouldn't describe her as lonely; she was an extremely independent, persnickety woman whom I never knew to live with another person or even a pet. A bookkeeper for much of her life, she was very frugal and took herself on trips to China, Russia, Singapore and to Paris, her favorite city, numerous times. In fact, she visited Paris twice in 1995, first in April and again in December with me.  

A short walk from her home in Santa Cruz, Calif., was the famous surfing spot called Pleasure Point, and one of her favorite things to do was to walk along the cliffs above the water and watch the surfers. When she died at 97 in 2013, I took her ashes to Pleasure Point with a friend of hers and we each put some in the ocean. Seconds after I dropped mine, a surfer emerged from the water where I stood.

That was cool. 

In January of 1995, she was watching the O.J. Simpson Trial and studying French to prepare for her next trip to France.

Sunday, Jan. 1, 1995
Up at 8:30 a.m., (breakfast) here, (watched) some football. Finished book, took to library.
Ate (Burger King), saw "Little Women" at 4 p.m. Very crowded, good presentation.
Home 6:50 p.m., ate here. Ran Bolshoi Nutcracker, watched 60 Minutes: Interview with Paul Newman, now 70 years old. Good, voice hoarse. (Salvi apprehended, person who shot in Brooklyn abortion clinic.)

Tuesday, Jan. 3, 1995
Up at 8:15 a.m., breakfast at Kmart. Went to Long's for photos, post office for stamps. Bought Coffee Cat t-shirt {that she later mails to me.}
In mail a card from Linda, new brochure for tour.
Phone call at 4:50 p.m., man asked for Yvonne {Her first name}, but then hung up! Accent, cultured?  
Took Xmas lites down, cut cards for mailing.
Watched Fraiser, Home Improvement, NYPD. Couldn't sleep.

Monday, Jan. 9, 1995
Awoke 8:15 a.m., up 9:10. Breakfast at McDonald's. Woman took my paper!
Walked to the cliffs, wind bad! Young man asked if I was OK!
Home, chores: mended pink money belt, fixed blue sweater sleeve. Worked on taxes.
Watched Murphy Brown, Cybil (funny). Read more of The Changeling, part of "Handmaid's Tale."

Friday, Jan. 13, 1995 
No heavy rain. Up 9 a.m. Breakfast at McDonald's.* 
Got paper goods at Thrifty, went to Seabright Beach, library for 1 hour. To show: "Prêt-à-Porter." Enjoyed! 
Took newspapers to Grey Bears, Thrifty to check prices. Home, dinner, mail: letter from Freda. 
Finished footstool tapestry, some TV: Murder She Wrote, 20/20. Bed, read.

Sunday, Jan. 15, 1995
Awake early.  Watched Steelers 13 - San Diego 17, surprised all. 49ers 38 - Dallas 28.
News. 60 Minutes. Murder. Presumed Innocent. Bed, read a bit.

Monday, Jan. 16, 1995
Up 9:30, breakfast at McDonald's. Got soundtrack to Prêt-à-Porter. Read paper. Saw "Immortal Beloved." Lucky's, home.
Taped "Death in Small Doses" by Sandra Locke (Eastwood's old flame). Bed 12, read until 1:40 a.m. Cold in night.

Thursday, Jan. 19, 1995
Awoke 6:40 a.m., then 10:45! Buttermilk bar + O.J. 

To laundromat. Home, mail. Ad only.

Mall. McDonald's, coffee and apple pie. 

Got Vitamin C at Trader Joe's, checked Drug Emporium also. 

At Longs got TV Guide and Dinty Moore stew, small cans. 
Home 3:15 p.m.
Read, watched Mad About You, good. Washed pink sweater. Rain forecast.

Friday, Jan. 20, 1995
Up 9 a.m. Breakfast at McDonald's. Saw man with white plaid coat on corner.
Rain, home. Mail early. Catalogued videos, No Track 29!
Worked on typing interest forms. Justine called, (she) got two letters. 

{By her correspondence math that meant I also owed her two letters.}
X-Files repeat. Taped Homicide. Bed. Rain most of day.

Sunday, Jan. 22, 1995
Awake every two hours. Up at 9:30, breakfast at McDonald's. 

Drove to Seacliff, walked a bit, then to Rio Del Mar. 

Maltby was there! Nodded, no talk. Home 12:30 p.m.
Read "The Changeling." Weird. {Earlier she called it a "sorry mess."}
Studied French from 2 to 5. 18 killed in Jerusalem by bomb.
Rained all day.

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 1995
No rain. Up 8:40. Library, took Changeling back. Went to The Buttery. 
Judge Ito {she was watching the O.J. Simpson trial} okayed camera in courtroom but under conditions. Johnny Cochran glib. Certainly knows how to speak to Afro-Am's. 
Letter from Mimi.
Trial, then CNN w/angry exchange about Defense not reporting discovery! J. Cochran is slick pimp. 
Bed 12 a.m.

Thursday, Jan. 26, 1995
Up 9 a.m. CNN - More arguments. To library, got some Venice books. 
Ate at Jack's, chicken sandwich. Mail, 1099 from Schwab, adverts.
Watched some of arguments, Chris Darden called defense lawyers "Dream Team."
Read, watched Star Trek, Law & Order. Bed, watched Nightline, Cheers, crossword puzzle.
Rained all nite. Sanders/Chang - 6/7, 6/4, 6/3, 6/4.

Saturday, Jan. 28, 1995
Half day gone, up at  11:15. Breakfast and coffee at 41st. Walked in mall, looked at t-shirts.
To show: "Murder in the First." Explosive. Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Christian Slater - talked to young men.
Ate here, some TV - news, read papers. Almost forgot Aussie. {Australian Open}
Agassi 6/7, 6/1, 7/6, 6/4.  Sampras tired - Hard matches. Bed late.

Sunday, Jan. 29, 1995
Up 9:30. Breakfast at McDonald's. 
Home, read, studied French, watched Super Bowl. Not too bad, rooted for San Diego. Over at 6 p.m. Nothing good on TV. 

Weeds and daffodils in back. Priced redwood boxes - high!
Bed, but ate bread and drank chicken soup. Woke in night with pains. Indigestion or bones?

February entries.

* For this she wrote "Bf McD." I lengthened a lot of her shorthand.