She would have been 87 years old

Today would have been Granny's 87th birthday. It's hard to believe that she's been gone over 10 years now. Some days I still miss her so badly that it hurts. Today isn't one of those days. Oh, sure, I miss her today, but I know that she is in a much better place than she would be if she were still living.

Granny was a character. She was one of those people who said it if she thought it. There would be times when I would be mortified because of something she said. I think back on it now though and laugh. Her favorite cuss word was shit. It's my favorite, too, although I do try to censor myself a little more than she did.

Talk about a green thumb...she had it! She could make anything grow. Her yard was always full of beautiful plants and flowers, especially her roses. She lived for gardening. I can remember her going out early in the morning with her hat and her long-sleeved shirt on to weed or to pick the ripe veggies. One of the worst things that happened was when my dad decided NOT to have a garden. He honestly and truly felt like he was doing the right thing because she would work herself until she just about couldn't go, but when he took that away from her, it was like taking away her life.

A couple of years before she died, she fell and broke her hip and collar bone. From that point on, she had to depend on others for so much. All she ever wanted to do was to move back into her house, but she wasn't able to live there alone, and if you've ever tried to find good help to sit with an elderly person, you know it is not an easy thing to do. She lived, for the most part, with my parents.

For as long as I can remember, Granny had been a smoker--Kool Menthols--but eventually she "quit." I laugh as I type that because everybody in the family knew she still snuck around and smoked. We'd stop by to visit and the house would reek of Lysol. More than once, a just-put-out cigarette was discovered in an ash try in the linen closet in the bathroom. On her 75th birthday, we had a big family party for her at The Bull Pen, a steak restaurant in Oakman. We were all sitting around talking after the meal. As many smokers do after eating, somebody pulled out a cigarette. Granny bummed one off whoever it was (probably my uncle Bruno.) From that point on, she never hid her habit. And boy, did she smoke!

Anytime my cousin Misty and I get together, we always end up talking about Granny. We laugh, and we usually cry. I see Granny in Misty so much, and it makes me happy. I like to think I'm a lot like Granny, but Misty really is. She thinks it, and she says it. Shit is one of her faves. She smokes way more than is good for her. And she looks a lot like Granny in my opinion.

Granny, I know you're in Heaven with Grandmother, Granddaddy, Thelma, and everyone else. It's a rainy day here, so I know you are looking down on your family because there are holes in the floor of heaven. Happy birthday! I love you, and I miss you!