my grandmother the centenarian

Age 17

 Age 23

Imagine what it must be like to live 100 years.  To see both World Wars, The Great Depression, the invention of the television, the first man landing on the moon.  Pretty spectacular events for a farm girl with a grade 8 education.  My grandmother who turns 100 today has lived a very modest life. She often tells stories of passing on a cup of coffee to save the 10 cents and sewing all of her own clothes, boasting that she could make a dress for work for $5.  She worked hard all her life, working in factories and eventually a few department stores in Detroit in the 60's.  Some of my most memorable outfits as a child were those dresses and faux furs coats that she would find and bring home for me.  She never drove, opting to accept the lengthy bus rides from her home in Windsor across the border to Detroit to work everyday.  Into her 80's she still made trips to the US by bus to go shopping.  She always said that she got better deals there, but deals or not, the trip (one I made with her only once) was brutal.  We spent way more time on the bus that day than we actually did shopping.  Soon after I was able to convince her to let me drive.  She sold her house where she had live for 65 years, at the age of 98 to move into a retirement home, where today she waits for my visit.  So I must go get dressed into something smart, not too short, not too tight to spend the afternoon with my sweetheart.  Happy Birthday Gram, xo

When my grandmother sold her house, this letter was the one thing that I asked her for.  She is very proud of it and still had it in the original envelope carefully tucked away in her drawer.  

Yep, that's my soother being dunked into beer and my cousin looking on in horror!

Gram at 100