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| Grandma “camping” in the 1950s. |
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.
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 partpf 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.
