Anniversary Shout-Out: Roy & Martha

Some days on the blog, I don't feel like/want to compete with/comment on the news cycle and/or date significance.

(Usually applies to major holidays and my birthday. But especially on days where I'm prone to overusing and/or statements with sassy backslashes.)

Today showed up as such with:

1)  The death of Steve Jobs yesterday.

2)  Sarah Palin's gracious (?!) quelling o' Presidential aspirations (and, could one hope, decline in media exposure?).

3)  Hank Williams, Jr. being told to nevermore ask, legally, "Are You Ready for Some Football?"

4)  A 37-year-old woman asking the Boston public:  "Am I at a bad age to date?"

So all I want to do today is point out that October 6 was the day 68 years ago that my maternal grandparents married each other, in Minneapolis. You've met Martha, who turns 92 in a couple weeks, but Roy has been gone for 11 years; he died the first summer I lived in Boston.  They had a pretty killer marriage, raised a pretty killer brood, and were pretty influential life examples for me.

I know I don't remember to mention that enough.


This May 29, 2011 photo made possible
by the events of October 6, 1943.

Birthday Shout-Out: Martha (Again!)

I can say with 97% certainty that for 37 out of 37 years, my grandma has gotten a birthday card to me on time. 

With 96% certainty, I'd guess that on no fewer than 36 of those 37 years, it arrived several days early.

My grandma's 91st birthday is today, and my card for her is still stuffed into the outside pocket of my backpack. 

Obviously I did not inherit promptness from my grandma.

 

With the grandkids at the 90-year celebration
 -- October 2009

Luckily I did get her good skin, fabulous hair, fast typing skills and a cool family .... of which she very well may be the coolest since she kind of started it all.

XOXO

The Martha Chronicles (III): Par-tay

Some of the best times ever are found in church basements.

Cheers, Martha. And happy birthday very soon.

The Martha Chronicles (II): Reminiscence

Martha (and my late grandpa, Roy) can claim 5 grandchildren, all of whom like to and excel at writing. Which is why Cousin J's idea of a gift for Grandma's birthday -- a "memory box", which each of us contributed 10 cards with specific memories -- was so prescient.

Reading through them today, as we are getting dressed and ready to go over to the party, certain themes arose as to her and grandpa's influence over all 5 of us: travel, cooking, cleaning, and love of family. Here's a sampling.

"I remember my (then) 85 year old grandmother boogying down at my wedding! You have always had a sense of fun! Chad and I are so happy that you were able to celebrate that day with us." -- Missy

"I bragged to all my classmates that my grandparents packed food and sleeping bags and scored us Twins playoff tickets -- I was so proud! What a treat!" -- Daniel

"Your red shell, VISA card and lipstick -- and you're ready to tackle Europe!" -- Kristin

"Why did we grandchildren hate to have our pictures taken so much? Ah, teenagers. But we certainly had an awful hard time dragging ourselves away from the living room bookshelf after the trips and the holidays were over and the albums were finished ... Grandma, to her credit, always did remind us of that dichotomy while she was taking the pictures, be it at Ellis Island or the state line of Arizona or in front of the Christmas tree. So we always complied." -- Karin

"Grandma -- you may not realize this, but I have bragged you up to many people regarding your willingness and enthusiasm to use your computer ... - and for so much more than just computer games! When I tell people that you have had to upgrade your computer at least three times since your initial computer purchase, people are blown away! I also appreciate it when you call me and ask me for advice on computer issues as if I'm the computer expert, because it is a real boost to my ego as well. And you make a mean egg salad sandwich, too. :)" -- Kristin

"Treasures to enjoy at Grandma's house: I was always enthralled by the witch you hung in the kitchen door frame. You had that wonderful box of old keys. Frozen cookies. Cactus in a ski boot! A special wood smell to the attic. Pink bathrooms and the little vanity chair in the upstairs one. Down comforters and egg crate cushions to sleep on. The laundry chute and a milk can of canes!" -- Cousin J

"When I was living with you, I remember rising at 7 a.m. to help you scrape the pain off the house and garage. By noon I was spent. By afternoon I was a zombie. You kept working all day, and the next, and soon you decided to do more sides of the house and garage until everything was freshly painted!" -- Daniel

"I remember Swedish pancakes and Ruby's Brunch Dish, Swedish Meatballs and chocolate chip cookies - we always loved coming to your house for the love, the food, and the fun. I have learned to be a hostess from watching you, Grandma!" -- Missy

"Did I just imagine Grandma once opened and more firmly slammed shut the massive door of her 2-door car while driving full speed northbound through Minneapolis on 35W? Even if it is just the figment of a 6-year-old's imagination, it should be true. In the 30 years since, I've never had the figurative chutzpah to do so myself." -- Karin

"Grandma, you give amazingly warm and comforting hugs!" -- Cousin J.

The Martha Chronicles (I): introduction

Today I did that cool thing blog sites allow you to do .... post into the future. It's some god-awful hour of the early morning that I won't share ... but this tidbit should post at 6 a.m., (hopefully) about the time Delta 3788 goes wheels up from Logan, taking me to Minneapolis for a weekend of family saturation.

Very glad to go. It's gusty and rainy in Beantown and a break is welcome.

And besides, we're celebrating my Grandma Anderson's 90th birthday.

It'll be a party all weekend, peaking Saturday night with a dinner in the Nokomis Heights Lutheran Church basement. Cousins from Managua, Stockholm and San Francisco will be there. My sister Missy is creating something like 95 pounds of mashed potatoes and my uncle is roasting enough pork to feed 60. The Denison sisters will sing Martha's favorite hymn. Speeches will undoubtedly be poured out. Daughters and grandchildren will serve the meal wearing the family aprons, sewn by Aunt Barbara and trimmed with Great-Grandma Anderson's hand-made lace. Then someone will arrange us all in several dozen configurations for photos of it all.

Hooray for Martha. I hope she does a lot of what she is doing in this photo.

So in deference to the great lady from Sweden, I dedicate this normally narcissistic blogspace for this day and the next 2 days to her and entirely to her.

Pictures and stories to come. In the meantime, first things first ... a salute to the motherland:

Skål!