Do you have awesome grandmothers?

[Nr1Humanoid]

In honor of YellowJackets kickass grandmothers (see his Rabid Grannies review in the horror thread) I got inspired to write this, wondering if any of you have really cool grandmothers?

Mine was the glue that held the family together. When she died my dad and siblings pretty much went their separate ways. Don't remember her too well as I was so young. Never met my other one.

Feel free to praise any awesome grand daddys you might have too.

[YellowJacketY2J]

I was just about to post my snippet from that review. It's so awesome that my Rabid Grannies review started a thread. Thanks!

[ani]

My Maternal grandmother is 80 years old yet:
Goes to the gym every week
Drives herself
Still tries to get stuff on top of the closet using a stool (which we always berate her about ;D)

Oh and her idea of slowing down is making only a HALF pound of christmas cookies instead of a pound

[Tigerlily]

My Nan is incredible. She's got cancer and doctors told her she had 2 years at the most, 6 years later and she's still going strong. I'm incredibly proud of her.

My Grampy (as I like to call him) is so inapproriate, it's f***ing hilarious. My Nan tried to raise me, my sister and cousins as young ladies and a gentleman and he thwarts her plans. I don't think many of you guys on here would appreciate his sense of humor though.

So my Grandparents are pretty much the most awesome people I know.

[Nr1Humanoid]

Dec 18, 2009 11:48:04 GMT -5 YellowJacketY2J said:

I was just about to post my snippet from that review. It's so awesome that my Rabid Grannies review started a thread. Thanks!

Your welcome. And Merry Christmas (yes, the C word)

[Tapout]

My paternal grandmother was a saint who worked hard every day of her life taking care of her husband (paternal grandfather) and her 6 children. In return for her troubles, she suffered a crippling stroke at the age of 80 which paralyzed half her body and robbed her of her eyesight. Some years later she passed away. RIP.

My maternal grandmother was a saint who worked hard every day of her life taking care of her husband (maternal grandfather) and her 5 children. In return for her troubles, her husband, my grandfather, recently fell ill and has been stuck in convalescent home hell for more than a year while she moved to an apartment nearby. Recently, she injured her knee and had to get surgery, and ironically was recently moved to that same convalescent home.

As much as I bitch and moan about my life, it really seems like the people of the older generation had it much harder and did more with less.

[default]

My grandmothers are awesome.

My paternal grandmother can shoot guns really well and has killed quite a few deer. She still goes out and dances and parties at least once a week on average and has a boyfriend who lives with her. She also is an excellent bargain hunter and the type who will talk down someone at a yardsale to pennies on the dollar.

My maternal grandmother swears like a sailor. She grew up with a sister and five brothers in the country and was one of the few married women in the area at the time who worked at all. She worked dry-cleaning for quite a few years, she almost wasn't hired due to her size and the steam presses they used, but she just went back and moved the press up and down a dozen or so times and the guy gave her the job. When my bro and his gf broke up, she went in and took custody of my nephews... her great grandchildren and is raising them. Also, she once flipped a car (my uncle took the blame) and also used to go drink Rolling Rocks and smoke cigars at the bar starting when she was 16. She can still husk corn or pluck feathers off a chicken in record time as well. And she makes the greatest boiled and browned potatos in the world.

I was from a rural area more or less, so almost all the women in my family are strong. My mom's dad's sister-in-law is fire-police with my great uncle and was their treasurer for quite a few years. My dad's dad's one sister still shoots squirrels with her dad's .22 when they get in her bird feeder. The other sister still drinks beer fairly regularly and drives a mail car. My mom's cousin works at the chicken plant where over half the people apply quit within a week due to disgust. She worked her way up from chasing them down to removing feathears and spraying the crap out of them literally.

[darthalexander]

I had two amazing grandmothers - my mother's mother and my dad's mother.

Both had an amazing sense of humor and could get you laughing almost any time. Being with them was often like being in the presence of a stand up comedian a lot of the time. It was pretty much a given that no matter how foul your mood was they'd still find a way to make you laugh, even if they didn't intend to.

One grandmother (my dad's mother) was a kind of "proper" woman. She often worried about what people would think, etc. It was kind of cute how she would act in regards to that. If she accidentally said "poop" she would then go on and apologize for it like she had made the biggest social faux-pas in history. One day I decided to have a laugh at her expense and tease her.

We were at Wal-Mart and she was shopping for something and she ended up talking to this lady there about the stuff she was buying. I had been in another department and came back and she was talking away with this woman. She noticed I was there and started to turn and started to introduce me: "Oh, this is Wade......"

And before she got a chance to say "my grandson" I went and said "I'm her boyfriend".

Well, her mouth dropped open in shock and she grabbed the lady's arm and said "NO!NO!NO! That's my grandson! That's my grandson!" Meanwhile the woman she was saying this too was laughing her head off (she knew I was joking) about it. My grandmother was horrified.

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

I only got to know my dad's mom, and she was freaking awesome. If she thought something, she said it. It didn't matter who she was talking to or what was on her mind. And you always knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were loved and welcomed in her home.

[Shy Guy]

out of the two that i have (dad's mom and mom's mom), i only really talk to my dad's mom, Pudge.

when she was growing up, her dad always used to tell her how pudgey looking she was, so she's always been grandma pudge to me. she's pretty short (i was taller than her by the time i was 10) and swears a ton. loves her stories (Y&R) and will listen to anyone go on about anything. she refers to two people that live around her as f*** Head and Loose Legs.

last september she lost her oldest child, my aunt bonnie, and then her only son, my father, this past janurary. yet, she still manages to hang in there and move on with life. she's easily the most amazing person i know.

my other grandma... not so much.

[forgottensinpwf]

I did.


Thanks for depressing me some more guys.

[PaperStreetBrigade]

My dads mom was great. She died when I was Six, but she watched wrestling, smoked cigars and drank and curse like a sailor. She was also Irish and really tough and crazy. My dad was actually afraid to bring us around her when we were little, but as soon as she saw us grandkids she'd melt like butter.

[Dynamite Kid]

My grandmother is f***ing awesome.

She is over 80, but she is mentally totally sound. When people in supermarkets treat her like a doddering idiot becuase she's older she'll beat them down with sarcasm.

One of her favourite films is Gangs Of New York.

Her two main interests are...


...Battleships. No, not the game.

As in, BATTLESHIPS. Like the things in the water that blow the shit out of each other in wars.

And World Heavyweight Boxing.

[FrankGotch]

Its been almost a year since my grandmother died, but she was an amazing force in the life of just about everyone she ever came in contact with. Depending on how long you've been on the board you may have already read this when I first posted it in the Thread Pirate interview last year, bust since the one year anniversary of my grandmas death is coming up I may as well post it again. This is taken from my journal for 12-26-08.

***********

Today 12-26-08 at 8:00 a.m. my grandmother died. The past 48 hours have been a blur, of joy, sadness, elation, and grief. Over the past few days it has been a strange roller coaster ride emotion. Today I experianced something very sad, yet at the same time old, strange, and beutiful The experiance has left me with a feeling that I will never forget as long as I live.

My grandmother had been in failing health for a while, she had been a diabetic for almost three decades, and had contracted leukemia. Two years ago when we found out about the cancer the doctors told us that she had less then three months. About six months ago the doctor recommended we send her off to a hospice, but her children would hear none of it.

My mother and aunts took it upon themselves to make sure Grandma spent her last few weeks comfortable at home. Despite (or to spite) the doctors Grandma once again proved that she was a fighter, and she managed to remain, steadfast, calm, wise, and cheerful all the way up till her final days.

Because of grandma's failing health the family decided to have Christmas up at the main house this year instead of using the huge out building that my Grandpa had built for family occasions. On Christmas eve the whole family (10 children and spouses, 21grand children, and spouses, 28great grandchildren) gathered in to celebrate the holiday.

Grandma's bed was set up in the living room, so that everyone got a chance to come in, and spend time with her. The night was a typical family get together for the most part. We all left that night in good spirits.

On Christmas morning shortly after opening presents we received a call from my aunt on duty that grandma had taken a drastic turn for the worse. I live right down the road from my grandparents so I was one of the fist ones to arrive. Grandma was in a lot of pain, and my aunt was doing her best to help by giving her morphine. About 10:00 it became evident that she was fading fast.

By 12:00 p.m. the house was packed as all the family had gathered around grandmas bedside. At this point grandma was still conscious despite being heavily drugged. For the next few hours we all took turns hugging her kissing her,and telling her goodbye. By 5 p.m. Grandma had slipped into a semi conscious state, and we started to hear the horrible death rattle when she took a breath.

As grandma lay in bed in an unwinnable battle with death, my cousin who had brought her accordion with her took it out and began to play Amazing Grace. Soon the whole family was gathered around grandma singing old church hymns with such gusto that one would have thought they stumbled in on a choir practice.

Grandma continued to come and go throughout the night, at one point she was awake enough to hum along to It Is Well With My Soul. At 7:30 am After singing praying, and reminiscing all through the night, we all made one final round to kiss, hug, grandma.

Through out the night I had manged to stay composed for my mother, grandpa, and anyone else who needed me, but as I hugged grandma for the last time my eyes filled with tears and I allowed myself to cry if only for a few seconds. At 8:00 a.m. grandma took her last breath, and died with her family crowded around her bedside.

The awful wail that followed is still echoing in my head to this moment. The whole room was one massive wet sorrowful hug. Some people started to shake, and others fell to their knees around the empty shell of our lost matriarch. We all circled Grandpa and gave him a huge group hug, while her tried his best to put on a tough face for everyone else.

After about a half hour my aunts cleaned grandma up, and combed her hair. Then we called the funeral home and waited for them to come pick her up. We all sat around, and did some more reminiscing, and some folks even managed to laugh and crack a few smiles.

Finally the funeral director arrived and they came to take grandma away for the last time. My family being as close nit as we are would not permit the funeral men to touch her just yet. Me, and one of my cousins were given the job of moving grandma from her bed to the waiting gurney. We picked her up, and placed her gently on to the gurney. Then the whole family accompanied the funeral men back to there van where they loaded her in, and drove her away from the house where she had been a corner stone for the past 60 years.

As I write this I am still in shock, and I have probably failed to capture any of the true rapture, sorrow, or emotion that I felt in these past few days. I am not a religious man, but I would be selling these past few days short if I said it were anything, but a true religious experience. In all my years of life I have never experienced anything close to this, and chances are I never will again.

Today Grandma had the kind of send off that every person who has ever lived dreams of, and I may be a little bias, but I can't think of anyone who deserved it more.

Goodbye Grandma I will miss you

[RatedRKoffee]

Yes I do. Mom's side: She is amazing and has taught me so much about what is really important in this life. A proper woman, she still gives me crap for saying the word crap.(I'm 34) She was fairly young when she had my mom, who was young when she had me. This gives me a Grandma that hangs out with women half her age who can't keep up with her at all. Does yoga a few times a week and can still turn the heads of guys my age. She is a gourmet cook who make many types of food, she is the person who taught me to try new things as well as better table manners. When I was a young adult making horrible life choices she taught me vaules that I desperatly needed to learn. I believe I would have done some time by now if not for her guidence (that I DID NOT WANT at the time). Fun fact she used to be an interior designer and did the model of the apartment complex that I live in.She let me live in her home two different times and there is nothing she wouldn't do for me. Her husband was my only grandfather taught me to like art, and took me to Disney movies as a kid.

Dad's side: No longer with us, she was much older than my other grandma and much more of a traditional grandma type. She was poorer and more rural as well. Tons of family on that side she had five kids, I don't even know many grandchildren and greatgrandchildren there were, but when we got together at her house it was an event! Sooo many of us kids running around, especailly at Christmas, which was her favorite holiday by far. She had this chirping bird ornament, when you pluged it in it chirped. Really loudly. Over and Over again. Really added to the general air of chaos and fun of Christmas eve at her house. She had been a nurse but that was long before my time. She wasn't the best cook in the world but she could sew, knit and quilt like noone else. She used to make my quilts, blankets, PJs, Halloween costumes,(She made the most awesome superman outfit for me), and many many stuffed animals. In fact during the 80s she made decent money selling homemade care bears, smurfs and cabbage batch toys out of her house. I remember my dad being upset that she was sisifying me by making so many care bears for me . She would just agree with him and then keep making them anyway until I had the entire set. Sadly one Christmas eve back in high school, we arived at the house to find that she had been rushed to the hospital shortly before the family started to arrive. She died a few hours later with her house full of family there to celebrate. At least my dad got to see her that night, but the grandchildren didn't. There were just too many of us to all go.