That was cool. Because I love reading her journals!
In 1998, she turned 83 while living alone in a mobile home park in Santa Cruz, Calif. Though I never knew her to live with another person or even a pet after she raised my mother on her own in 1950s Los Angeles (I wrote more about her life in this post), I never perceived my grandmother as lonely.
December of 1998 was another pretty slow month for grandma, mostly full of watching football and movies, checking the mall for deals, and walking to nearby Pleasure Point, a popular surfing spot, to see if anyone was on the waves. But I am also pleased to report that I drove down to visit her on Christmas Eve, and we went to the movies together after driving around to look at cool displays of lights.
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1998
Bed til 7:15. Usual breakfast. Sunny but cold.
Wind blew bark into carport. Swept, weeded.
To library. Read Barrons.
Home 3:45. Talked to Myra.
News, newspaper, Geraldo, Lehrer.
TV: Morse, X-Files (Vampire Town).
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 1998
Up 7. Chores, ready by 10 a.m.
To Longs. Rented “English Patient.”
Got gasoline, home.
Ran part 1 of “Eng Pat.” News, then part 2.
To post office, mailed letter to Mina.
TV: Law & Order, ran part of Eng P again.
Thursday, Dec. 3, 1998
Up 7, usual breakfast.
Went through medical files again, put some in metal file.
To Longs, got 1999 calendar.
Looked for boots in Gottschalks, Penney’s. Good ones at Penney’s, but need 9s at least.
Ate KFC, pot pie.
To Show, “Bug’s Life.”
Home 4:30 p.m., worked on taxes.
Some Geraldo. Ann there, turned off.
TV: Poirot, Law & Order, news.
Friday, Dec. 4, 1998
Up 7:30. Cold, heat til 9. Shower/hair.
Got boots at Ross.
To Longs, looked for light buttons. None.
Ate lunch at Kmart, turkey.
Mail: Letters from Mina, Carla. She sent $10.
Talked to Myra on fone re Larry, remote.
News, papers. No Geraldo: loudmouth Ariana on w/Marcia.
Called Mina.
Call from Ralph Short, called back.
TV: X-Files, Poirot Mysteries.
Slept good.
Saturday, Dec. 5, 1998
Cold, heat 7-9. But feel good!??
To Kmart, got Dinty Moore and applesauce. Ate meatloaf.
Mail: Catalogues, Medicare forms. Drs on Duty a mess again!
Dinner: liver.
Wrote Justine, card to Ralph Short.
Storm passes, cable out. Rabbit ears OK.
Good sleep. Spilled water.
Sunday, Dec. 6, 1998
Cold! Bed til 10.
Football: 49ers (31) vs. Carolina (28). Close game, tied 28. Carolina got OT, field goal missed. 49ers Ricky made Int.
TV: Siskel & Ebert, 60 Minutes, some Three Tenors.
Monday, Dec. 7, 1998
Cold again. Heat 7-9. Out 10.
Walked on cliff.
To Longs, BO 149/77.
Mailed letter to Justine, card to Ralph Short.
Home 1:30, chores.
Justine called, added “Caller ID.” [Justine here: I had been getting scary crank calls!]
Cleaned inside of car.
Had brown pants outside drying a week?! Forgot, rained on.
Tuesday, Dec. 8, 1998
Up 8. Power outage in SF. Street signals out, gridlock. BART down.
To Drs on Duty in Aptos. EKG, heart, lungs, blood test.
Stopped at Burger King, got fish.
TV: C-SPAN, president’s witnesses testimony. X-Files, repeat.
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1998
Good sleep. Up 7:30, usual breakfast. Some C-SPAN.
Changed coolant. No need, can be 2 years.
To Kmart, pie & ice cream! Looked for pants.
To McWhorters. Xerox, pen refills (3).
TV: Geraldo, Frost, Discovery.
Read papers, Koppel, bed.
Thursday, Dec. 10, 1998
Awake 6, heat til 8. Chores.
Mailed letter to McCoys.
To McDonald’s for coffee.
Looked for pants at Penney’s, Gottschalks. Some Vanderbilts and Lees.
Home, TV. Some C-Span.
To show, “Home Fries.” Drew Barrymore, Luke Wilson? About “country” folks!
Home again. News, C-Span, Geraldo, X-Files.
Friday, Dec. 11, 1998
Up 7:30, usual breakfast. Chores.
To Drug Emporium for BP.
Got 3 pair of pants, 1 sweater for $107. Tired from trying on clothes.
Lunch at KFC.
Locked keys in car, called for truck. Man had hard time on driver’s side, but easily opened passenger side.
Home 2:45. News, Lehrer, read paper, crossword, etc.
TV: Geraldo, Poirot, part of X-Files, rerun.
To bed, no sleep though. Watched Koppel, drank hot milk.
Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998
Up 7, turned on heat. Usual breakfast.
To Drug Emporium, got TV Guide, new battery for smoke alarm. The other, Energizer, lasted 1 year.
Got coffee at Ocean, left copy of Medicare Notice at Drs on Duty.
To library, researched “Black” Encyclopedic Notables.
To Erik’s Deli for pie.
Long lines at Star Trek.
Home, message from library for book, Beloved.
Sunday, Dec. 13, 1998
Up 7. Heat, tea, applesauce. ready 9 a.m.
To Trader Joe’s, post office. Mailed letters, bot stamps.
To Kmart for breakfast. To bank for balance.
Home, chores. Some football.
Xmas lights, put up one string. Second does not work. Worked to find out why.
TV: X-Files, ghosts — Lily Tomlin, Ed Asner.
News, bed.
Vacuumed front.
Monday, Dec. 14, 1998
Awakened 5:30 by garbage truck. Out by 10.
To Longs, bo’t new string of lights, cheapest.
Home, wrapped book for Mina, catalog for Justine.
To Scotts Valley. KFC, Star Trek “Insurrection.”
To post office, mailed all.
Home via Chanticleer to see decorations.
Home, sorted mail. Thought I had lost these journals, had put in purse.
TV: Geraldo, Lehrer, Football: 49ers (36) vs. Detroit (13).
Tuesday, Dec. 15, 1998
Up 8, usual breakfast. Shower/hair.
To Drug Emporium for Head and Shoulders. New, has conditioner.
Home, drove on East Cliff. Not many surfers. Park shaping up.
Home, chores. Fixed black turban.
Clinton returns today.
TV: Murder She Says, Lehrer, Geraldo, old Morse, old Frontline.
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 1998
Awake 8. Usual breakfast.
Put up Xmas lites. Changed some bulbs.
Called Hazardous Wastes, open today. Took coolant and insecticides.
To Capitola, waked a bit. Sunny, many children? School?
Home, rearranged 2nd shelf of cabinet.
Justine called, for my SS#.
Mail: Card from Pearl/Orin.
Clinton ordered bombing of Iraqis.
Read, taped Pagliacci with Placido Domingo.
Thursday, Dec. 17, 1998
Couldn’t sleep. Took melatonin. Hangover.
Usual breakfast. Chores.
To Longs, got video, “Chinese Box.”
McDonald’s for coffee. Bank for balance.
Home, tired!
Mail: Card from Stimson, my card to Mina returned. No stamps!
TV: Lehrer, Geraldo, Sherlock.
Played “Chinese Box.” Good photography. Jeremy Irons.
Friday, Dec. 18, 1998
Awakened at 7. Heat on. Then awake at 9.
To post office, mailed 7 cards.
Longs, returned video.
Albertsons, got bananas, potatoes.
Kmart for gas. Did not cut off, much gas on pavement.
To Scotts Valley, got bakery item.
To show, “Prince of Egypt.” Good.
Mail: Got order from Puritan, card from Justine.
TV: news, Koppel.
Saturday, Dec. 19, 1998
Up 9,cold. Ready by 11.
Coffee and donut on Ocean Avenue.
To show, “Gods and Monsters.” Ian McKellan, wonderful film.
Newspapers sold out in many places, found 3 left at Drug Emporium.
House of Representatives voted on Acts of Impeachment (for Clinton), 2 out of 4. 228-206. Some did not appear.
Carla called, to have another biopsy.
TV: Interesting A&E show, Mystery.
Got letter ready for Justine.
Sunday, Dec. 20, 1998
Up 9, breakfast at McDonald’s.
To post office, home.
Ironed pants, sewed gray sweater.
Turned on lites, forgot last night.
TV: Siskel & Ebert, like “You've Got Mail,” “Thin Red Line,” “Affliction.” Video pick: “High Art.”
Monday, Dec. 21, 1998
Cold. To laundromat.
Kmart for lunch, bo’t Dinty Moore.
Home, message from Myra. Larry fell, was taken to ER by ambulance. Went with her to hospital, was there from 2:30 to 5 p.m. He had 10 stitches.
Home, cable went out.
Dinner here, spaghetti.
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998
Hearing test at 1:15.
Up 7, heat til 9. No shower.
Sister Grace arrived to see Larry. Dressed, gave her two pair of pants.
Larry with black eye.
To Longs and coffee, read paper.
Hearing test, shows loss. Ordered second most expensive. Sales gimmick?
TV: Lehrer, Law & Order.
Wednesday, Dec. 23, 1998
Up 7, heat til 8. Cold!!
Shower, hair. Out 11 to Longs.
Lunch KFC. Pot pie, coconut pie.
To Kmart, just looked at cards.
Home, washed some clothes. Some TV.
To Albertsons for milk.
Read “Beloved.”
Rain tomorrow.
Thursday, Dec. 24, 1998
Awake 6 a.m. Packed vitamins. Usual breakfast.
To Drug Emporium for TV Guide, cards, crackers.
To library, read Consumer Reports on hearing aids.
Home, to Myra’s. Gave McApple.
Justine here 3:30 p.m. Drove to see lights.
To show, “Gods and Monsters.” She had pizza.
Home 9:30. Some TV.
[Justine here: I remember that night fondly. It was great to drive around with her, just looking at Christmas lights. I also think that was the time she gave me Tylenol PM to help me sleep, which changed my life.]
Friday, Dec. 25, 1998
Xmas. Cold, no hot water.
Up 10:30 after heat.
To bank, got balance. Paper.
Some cleanup.
Walked cliff, lovely day.
Home, wrote Mina, Andra, Sy.
Read papers, watched news, some TV.
Taped Madame Butterfly.
Read in bed.
Saturday, Dec. 26, 1998
Larry goes back to have stitches out?
Cold, but not as much. Usual breakfast.
To Drug Emporium, got new slippers and cookies.
To Longs, got food, envelopes.
To OSH, water heater pilot out. Called PG&E, 2 others. Say Monday.
Some TV, finished “Beloved.”
Sunday, Dec. 27, 1998
Awake 8 a.m., but tired. Usual breakfast.
Wrote card to McCoys.
Various chores regarding New Year. Appointments, etc.
Football: 49ers 39, Rams 19.
Lunch Kmart, talked to couple from Montreal.
To library, got video: “Smoke Signals,” returned Beloved.
Some TV. Bed early.
Monday, Dec. 28, 1998
PG&E may come.
Awake 6. Heat, usual breakfast.
Oiled car lock, locks on door for heater.
Put out Larry’s waste can & brought it in.
PG&E man arrived around 3:30 p.m.
To post office, mailed letter, got stamps.
Ran tape of Madame Butterfly, color great. Taped opera.
TV: News, bad accident on 101, fatalities. Fog?
Tuesday, Dec. 29, 1998
Wakened by quakes, 4:38. Back to sleep after moving lamps and gorilla.
Up 9:30, usual breakfast.
Gave Sister Grace calendar.
Talked to Myra regarding Larry. He in good condition, eye almost well.
To show after donut/coffee. “Shakespeare in Love.” Great.
Very cold. Vacuumed furnace.
Some TV. Bed early. Read paper.
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 1998
Streetcar Named Desire, SF Opera.
Awake 7, usual breakfast.
To post office, mailed catalogues, article to Mina.
Drug Emporium for BP, McDonald's for coffee.
To Myra's, gave her calendar for Larry. He “lost his keys,” they were in his pocket.
Home, ate, some TV. Taped opera “Streetcar Named Desire.”
Bed, watched Law & Order.
Thursday, Dec. 31, 1998
Rent.
Awake 6, heat. Usual breakfast.
To Longs: BP, paper, more corn flakes, stew. No “Sliding Doors.”
Kmart for lunch. Soup, cheese sandwich.
Looked for sweater at Gottschalks. Nothing.
Home, washed some things.
Wrote checks for rent.
Gave Myra cookies.
TV: Cirque de Soleil. Great!
TV: Diagnosis Murder, some David Letterman.
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