95

My grandmother, Mary Martin, would have been 95 this summer. She was a wonderful lady. 

She had an amazing voice. At 17 she tried out for and was invited to sing and tour with Tommy Dorsey’s Big Band. Her parents wouldn’t let her go. But boy oh boy could my grandma sing. 

As I grew up, granddad played his fancy organ and grandma would sing from the kitchen. I sure miss that. All the old songs. I loved it.

I loved grandmas little kitchen and her pantry that never had the doors hung right. I loved her cast iron skillet that she made Italian meat balls in, and her ‘Aunt Jemima’ cookie jar. 

In her back yard, she had a flagstone patio with a bar, a very big inground pool with a slide and diving board. She use to have big parties, she loved to entertain. She had an arbor, that looked like it came from Hawaii. 

She had a huge lemon tree. I learned to love all things lemon. (We would make lemon salad: chopped up pealed lemons with olive oil and salt. Powerful but delicious.) She had a ‘date palm’ that she took such good care of. Wrapping the date clusters so the birds wouldn’t get then. She kept the ripe dates in a very large glass jar, they would dry as they aged. I loved eating them. After grandma passed away I took the last few dates and put them in a small canning jar. I still have them on a shelf. 

Grandma had a very large cedar chest. Inside she kept her treasures. I don’t remember much, but there was an emerald green silk evening gown that she had worn back in the 1940s. It was beautiful. 

I remember how grandma cried when Elvis Presley died. And how she loved camping in the camper on the back of the Chevy truck.

She was the stability of my childhood. She was there when my parents never were. I never doubted her love. I always felt it. 

I have a replica of the music box she kept on her dresser. 

Grandma gave me her hanky collection and her mother’s (my nana’s) button box. When she passed away I got her very first cookbook, the one she had when she was a new bride in the 40’s.

Grandma said she didn’t understand why they didn’t have water vending machines like they had for soda. I know she would love to see that we do now.

She had my mom when she was young. She later gave birth to a little boy who was still born. I know she mourned him all her life. The last time I saw grandma was in the hospital. She had a very fast growing tumor in her brain. She was dying and we knew it. I took my little girls to see her. Grandma told me that she was going to go see her boy. I didn’t doubt that. I’m sure the reunion between mother and son was wonderful. 

I can’t wait for my reunion with grandma. It’s going to be awesome!