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| Grandma traveling in 1972. |
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 September of 1997, she quietly turned 82 while watching plenty of tennis, baseball and football. At the end of the month, she drove down to Southern California to attend a reunion of people raised at the orphanage she grew up in, a Masonic Home in Covina, Calif.
Monday, Sept. 1, 1997
Jerry Rice out for year.
Driver of car containing Diana drunk? He “security” man. Real driver sent ahead as decoy.
McDonald’s, got Chicken sandwich.
Wrote Mina.
Tired. Heat is fatiguing.
TV: News, Poirot.
Tuesday, Sept. 2, 1997
Up every 2 hours: 2-4-6. Up 8.
Took anti-freeze to dump, plastic bottles to Greybears.
Tennis: Chang, five sets! Both exhausted.
To Kmart, ate lunch.
Wednesday, Sept. 3, 1997
Laundromat.
Breakfast McDonald’s, sausage biscuit.
Home, Ronn Owens.
Longs, BP & Xerox. Man hogging machine.
Home, garbage cans being delivered.
TV: Tennis, X-Files.
Thursday, Sept. 4, 1997
Ronn’s last day in London.
Walked East Cliff.
Longs, got diuretics.
Home, forgot paper.
Gottschalk’s, got binder.
To Albertsons, bananas on sale.
Worked on taxes.
Friday, Sept. 5, 1997
Called Mina. Talks better with inhaler.
Mother Teresa died. Heart.
TLC arrived. He sat with me to watch Venus Williams.
Called Mina again, she pleased about Venus also.
Rested a bit, watched Diana’s funeral til 5 a.m. (Taped six+ hours)
Saturday, Sept. 6, 1997
To Longs. Got melon at Albertsons.
Swept some under couch.
To bank for balance.
TV: Tennis, women’s doubles.
Mail: Letter from Prudy.
More cleaning.
Slept good, tired.
Sunday, Sept. 7, 1997
Up 8, ate here.
Back to sweeping, cleaned pebbles up.
Football: 49ers v. Rams, 15-12, surprise.
Tennis: Hingis, of course. Venus choked.
To McDonald’s on Ocean, got chicken san.
To show, “Career Girl.”
Monday, Sept. 8, 1997
Ate, got paper.
To OSH: Got Liquid Gold, Black Flag, Rust-oleum and brush.
Worked 10:30 to 1 p.m. (2 1/2 hours).
Tired.
Cleaned fridge.
TV: Poirot repeat.
Fertilized lawn.
Tuesday, Sept. 9, 1997
Awake 6. Quiet?
Took it easy. Shower, hair.
Longs, BP. McDonald’s, got salad.
Wrote TLC.
Watered lawn.
Burgess Meredith died, 89.
Wednesday, Sept. 10, 1997
To McDonald’s in mall for coffee.
Looked around Gottschalk’s.
Kmart, got chicken sand.
Painted stove hood, walrus.
TV: Geraldo, Law & Order, Star Trek Voyager, TNG.
Thursday, Sept. 11, 1997
Awake 6, back to sleep til 9. Static on radio.
Checked hood of stove and walrus, some spots redone.
Started on rose bush.
Kmart, BP. “Doctor” there.
Scotts Valley, ate at Chinese place. “Joe” TLC came in.
To show, “Men in Black.” Me alone.
Home, ate. Worked on transplant: Got big Easter/Xmas plant in Big Pot.
TV: X-Files. Read a bit.
Friday, Sept. 12, 1997 [Her 82nd birthday]
Worked on transplant to big pot, 9:30 to 11.
Fog in am, hot later.
Gottschalk’s, looked for brown to wear with brown. Nothing.
Kmart, found ecru. Ate lunch.
Home, neighbor helped with plant hole.
TV: X-Files, JAG!
Baseball: Giants won, Dodgers lost.
Saturday, Sept. 13, 1997
Read until 3:45 a.m. Slept until 9.
Longs, BP high. Got tuna.
To Burger King in mall. Mervyn’s, got denim.
To video store, got 3 videos: Bull Durham, Stargate, Crying Game.
Read papers, more work on yard.
Ran more of Diana’s funeral.
Sunday, Sept. 14, 1997
Walked cliff. Extraordinarily lovely day.
Home, watched “I Married a Witch,” Veronica Lake.
Football: 49ers v. Saints. 33-7.
To OSH, got flowers. Planted pansies.
Talked to Mary.
Ran “Stargate.”
Monday, Sept. 15, 1997
Planted patients.
To Longs, BP. Got beige watch, TV Guide, canned fruit.
Walked cliff, 45 minutes.
Vitamin Center, got tea + ginko.
Football: Phila vs. Dallas. Phila ahead, blew it.
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1997
Kmart, BP, ate chicken sandwich.
Home, ran tape of Ally MacBeal, sitcom, lawyers.
Dodgers vs. St. Louis. Eckersly on in 9th, but Dodgers got runs off him he out.
Dodger Radinsky, rock band.
TV: Frasier, X-Files. Washed clothes.
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 1997
Walked cliff.
Longs, BP.
Vacuumed, bedroom walls good, other rooms casual.
Started “The Crying Game.”
TV: Geraldo, more “debris” in Paris tunnel, Fiat taillight broken.
TV: Star Trek TNG.
No sleep until 2 a.m.!
Friday, Sept. 19, 1997
Watered east side.
Larry searching his garbage.
Thirft shop, bought purse $.69.
To Goodwill, bought blouse, $1.95.
Hot.
Wrote Mina & Prudy, took to post office.
Watered west lawn.
Ellie may have bed delivered. Medicare pays rent.
Saturday, Sept. 20, 1997
Breakfast Kmart, got pillowcase, two shoe racks.
Very warm.
Home, wrote checks, read papers.
Baseball: Giants lost to Padres, Dodgers lost to Rockies.
Packaged 16 days of vitamins.
Couldn't sleep.
Sunday, Sept. 21, 1997
Tea 8:30. Up 9.
Called Pearl.
Walked on cliff.
Foned Mina.
Tennis: Sampras, Chang won.
Mina called back, I called her. Talked 1/2 hour.
Tea. Slept good.
Monday, Sept. 22, 1997
Lunch at Jacks. Turkey burger.
To show, “L.A. Confidential.” Cops beat people. Much killing. 2 1/2 hours.
Got card for seamstress from Ample Annie.
TV: Part of new show “Brooklyn South.” Obnoxious woman named “Yvonne.”
Had sleep tea, no work. No sleep til almost 4 a.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 1997
Walked on cliff.
Longs, BP, TV Guide, gum.
Trader Joe’s, got cereal, aloe, gingko, salad.
To be hot today!
To Kmart, ate pecan pie and ice cream!
Took melatonin, slept good.
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 1997
Awake 7:15. Tea, cereal.
Longs, BP.
Wherehouse, no “Candle.” To Blockbuster, got two cassettes.
Home, cleaned car, some packing.
Called Justine. Machine clicked off.
Spoke to Larry.
Called Justine again, she answered.
Baseball: Giants won today, Dodgers lost.
No sleep. Radio, Art Bell re: black hole.
Thursday, Sept. 25, 1997
Up 8:30. Longs, BP paper.
To Santa Maria Motel 6. Rest area 1:30 to 2.
Swam in pool 1 hour. Met two men from WWII.
Were in Phillipines. One graduated college in 1931, high school 1933.
Ate sandwich, went to Betteravia. [Betteravia is the road in Santa Maria on which my mother was killed in a car crash.]
To Seal Beach, inundated. Coastal waves high.
Friday, Sept. 26, 1997
Good sleep, awake 6.
Checked oil, water, left 10:30.
Got gasoline, probably 40 miles to gallon.
Rest area Gaviota 15 mins, Santa Claus 1/2 hour, than all on I-5 to Fullerton.
Saturday, Sept. 27, 1997
Hot. Up 8, to Balboa.
Walked on pier, sat with Pearl. John Mark there, Dorothy Short, D. Poole.
To Fullerton 5 p.m.
Watched Bull Durham, read a bit.
Baseball: Giants won division.
Sunday, Sept. 28, 1997
Breakfast at Pollys. Listed thrift shops.
Left for Covina noon, arrived about 12:30. Very hot.
Signed in, talked to Pearl, Orin. Dorothy lives in Ojai. May visit?
Back 3 p.m., almost had accident: Van tried to pull into stop-go traffic, I hit brakes and skidded, near accident.
To Mina’s 4:45, talked, ate avocado, carrots.
TV: 60 Minutes, Siskel & Ebert.
Crossword puzzle, read.
Monday, Sept. 29, 1997
Up 8, talked.
To McDonald’s, got coffee, decaf. $.57
To Goodwill, thrift stores. Got blouse.
Back to Mina’s, talked, Another hot dog.
Football: 49ers beat Panthers.
Watched Diana's funeral, science program.
Tuesday, Sept. 30, 1997
Tea, cereal, left 9:45. Mina not well.
Stopped 11:30 at McDonald’s
Rest 2 p.m. in Buellton. Got Sobe drink.
Satna Cruz 6:45, nine hours.
410 miles today, trip 980 miles.
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