#great-aunt

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Sometimes, I wonder if my Great-Aunt was some flavor of queer. Maybe a lesbian or maybe asexual. I don't know. What I do know is that she had a roommate at some point, and my grandfather was technically her brother because her parents adopted him from his family as they were driving across Nebraska during the Depression. But a big part of the reason they adopted my grandfather, as I understand it, was so my Great-Aunt could have a baby to raise. She was 20 at the time.

And I never asked her about it when she was still with us because 1) she was extremely hard of hearing and did not wearing hearing aids, so it was easier to have conversation at a minimum, and 2) I did not grow up in a family where, "So, like, was my Great-Aunt queer?" is a question you can just toss into the room. Hell, when my mother brought up that my Great-Aunt had had a roommate at one time, I asked, "Like, a roommate, or do you think they were a couple?" And my mother replied along the lines of, "Ugh, why does everyone assume roommate means more than roommate?" And, woman, I definitely recall one of my aunts (not the great-aunt, obvs) bringing her "roommate" to a visit, and YOU were the one who said "roommate," and my aunt was the one who went, "SHE'S MY GIRLFRIEND." So, there's literal recent history about why I asked.

Anyway, I wonder because I loved her. She was teeny-tiny and drove an avocado green Pontiac GTO until she was something like 90. She had a white poodle she named Shadow, and she made me a yarn-and-hanger duplicate when I was a kid. It was one of my favorite gifts ever. She had to move into my grandparents house when she was 98 and hated every second of it, but she LOVED to see me when I showed up. When she passed, she left me a 1917, leather-bound 2-volume copy of Les Mis, which I think is from the second printing of the book ever in the United States. She taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Nebraska when she started as a teacher, and she passed away at 100. I miss her.

[nei-ning]

I visited mom’s aunt (my great-aunt) today and God, she’s so wonderful person! I’ve visit her few times before in my life but this visit, so far, was definitely the best!

First we went to cemetery. She planted flowers on her husband’s grave. Then we went to the market to get some food. She told mom and I to get whatever we would like to eat, she pays them all (tho she wanted pizza so we ended up taking 2 different pizzas on top of everything else :’D). I also took small ice-cream (mint) because I had horrible heartburn. Mom said she would pay it, but when her aunt saw the ice-cream, she told her to toss it on the cash register desk. She would pay it - and she did.

She fed us so well at her house! 2 different pizzas, bread, wieners, coffee (which I didn’t drink tho), milk, ready food etc. She would had make pancakes / wafers to us too, but we told her not to. We told her there was food plenty enough and we can’t eat all of them. She looked at us, stating: “I eat like a horse. I can eat 6 to 7 huge potatoes in one go on top of everything else.”

After eating we chatted some and our conversation turned on people with kids and people who are child-free by choice. She then said; “I already have done documents, as well as told my children and grand-children, that whenever and if I ever start to talk silly thing (meaning dementia), you instantly grab me by the neck and ass and throw me in a care facility. I will not let myself become a burden to them. I have lived my life and it’s right for them to live theirs. Like when their own children finally leaves the home, they have to start to take care of me. They can’t live their own life.”

Because sad thing, at least in Finland what I know, is that most parents do kids ONLY so that they would have someone to take care of them when they are old. It’s not your child’s “job” to take care of you. Unless they want to without being forced, pressured etc. into it.

Mom then announced that me and my sis are not going to have kids, ever. About my bro, we don’t know. If he doesn’t want kids either, our family’s line ends with us. I told that it’s actually a good thing since we have so shitty genes (lots of different health issues) that there’s no point spreading them forward. Mom laughed and said something which I didn’t hear (mom likes to speak over me :’D) but her aunt just said firmly, with kindness while laughing; “Don’t think too big about your genes *mom’s name*.”

At some point the subject changed again. I didn’t listen so carefully now since I was checking my phone, but great-aunt was talking about how she had bought shaped foam, but since she hadn’t used it much, the foam had got stuck in the bottle. Great-aunt hadn’t got it out so it had pissed her off :’D She looked at us, clearly holding her laugh back, as she told us; “You know what I did? I took the damn thing outside and cut it in half with an ax.” :’DDD

Like, seriously! This little old lady is 80 this year and she lives alone in small farm area house. She does everything alone there, even cut the logs with her ax. She also goes to her own small forest with the ax and has been “skinning” fallen trees with it :’D She cuts her grass and tree fence etc. while, at times, having little “letting out steam” moments as she put it, ahah! I really wanna be like her when I grow up! <3

When we were leaving, she playfully looked at me and said; “Keep your mom in check.” :’D

After this lovely visit mom and I went to near by town’s market. I have never been there before so this was nice new experience. Mom bought 2 bags of ready meatballs and the bags were moist from the outside. At the cash register I mentioned about it to mom and she asked were they really. I said: “Grope those balls a bit and you will feel the moist.”

This middle-aged cashier lady kept looking at me, giggling behind her mask out loud the whole time I was there another side of the cash register :’D Apparently she found my comment hilarious which made me laugh / happy. But on the other hand I’m not so sure is it a good thing to stay in random person’s mind like this for the rest of their life :’D

[kentuckwitch]

My beloved great-aunt Danford. She's like a second mamaw to me.

[demonofnoontide]

Sauces and Condiments Recipe

With this homemade peach jam made of only 5 ingredients and featuring hints of lemon juice and almond extract, you can enjoy light, summery flavors all year long.

[bibliotecativa]

Aunt Patsi's Easy Peach Jam With this homemade peach jam made of only 5 ingredients and featuring hints of lemon juice and almond extract, you can enjoy light, summery flavors all year long.

[fussballikone]

Never Enough Green Bean Casserole This green bean casserole with Velveeta is NOT your usual plain green bean casserole. This recipe started with my great-aunt and has been passed around our family for years. People tasting it for the first time ALWAYS want the recipe!

[noshedoesntlabel]

Sour Cream Pound Cake - Desserts

[princess-of-lions]

Does anyone else have a grandmother who does that thing where she keeps plastic bags in the dishwasher??? Like, the dishwasher never gets used because it’s a storage space packed full with plastic bags?