She was ~Yesterday Minus 121

There’s something about October 15, indeed, it being the “approximate” date of my grandmother’s birthday… in 1905. I have pretty much blogged this same story before so more or less a repost, but the way she tells it in her own voice is something special.

The featured photo are scans of old images, on the left 1955 (at 50) in the family home on Ridgewood Avenue in Baltimore that I barely remember as we moved when I was 2. The photo on the right was one I took the last time I saw her in a care home in Baltimore in 2001 (at 96). I would always tease Granny that she had to live to be 100 and she did her best getting to 98, much less 121. Just numbers.

When “granny” came into the world there was no official paperwork to define when she was born. as I recall the story she was only able to get a official document when her older brother was able to find a record in the census that listed the number and ages of children in the house. I can’t recall if she totally picked a date of October 15 or if they narrowed it down, but how many people get to choose their birthday?

This is all from the recordings I made of her telling stories, recorded on cheap audio cassette in 1994. I cant so how valuable it is to have her voice digitally. I did make this portion of the recording into a video with additional photos and images:

There’s no new stories to have, just the shreds and re-telling of the ones I got. She loved playing kick the can!

More numbers, when she was the age I am now, I would have been 5 and as always mesmerized by this woman who definitely spoiled me all the way. No not spoiling, but in her presence, she made me feel like the most important person anywhere. That’s what grannies do.

And as always I have to urge you to record your older family members stories and get a much documented and saved, because it will fade when they are not around to tell their own stories.

Tell and retell, and keep at bay the third death.

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Featured Image: Composite of my own family photos, Grandma on Ridgewood Avenue from 1955 (the year was printed on the photo) and a camera photo I took when seeing her in 2001.