(And I'm not talking about the "Red Baron")
My grandmother's last name was Baron. Otherwise known as "Nanny." My mother's mother.
A bad ass and on most days, always an annoyance to me.
I loved her very much. Despite the fact that every Saturday when kids slept in, she woke me at 6am to clean windows. She was Lithuanian. And a great follower of cleaning the house top to bottom. Often times she'd admonish me when I didn't want to clean. Instead, I wanted to watch cartoons and eat cereal. (like most kids). She'd say in her heavy forgein accent:
"Bad girl. No want to help Mama!" I resented her on most days.
A bad ass and on most days, always an annoyance to me.
I loved her very much. Despite the fact that every Saturday when kids slept in, she woke me at 6am to clean windows. She was Lithuanian. And a great follower of cleaning the house top to bottom. Often times she'd admonish me when I didn't want to clean. Instead, I wanted to watch cartoons and eat cereal. (like most kids). She'd say in her heavy forgein accent:
"Bad girl. No want to help Mama!" I resented her on most days.
After she finally died in 1995, I drempt about her more than I care to acknowledge. However, she no longer yelled at me in her old fashion. In dreams, she brought me Lilac flowers in a huge bouquet. Or bundles of red and pink Peonies. A great gardener, I often spent time collecting flowers from her garden for dinner time. Her request.
It was the right and proper thing to do as a wife of the household. Preparing me, for marriage, I suppose.
Still single :(
It was the right and proper thing to do as a wife of the household. Preparing me, for marriage, I suppose.
Still single :(
After dinner she would draw me a bath. Opening the medicine cabinet while the hot water ran in the tub, Nanny reached for her Estee Lauder expensive parfume in a small bottle -- the strong stuff, not in a spray bottle. I'd stand naked as she filled the tub and sprinkled the parfume in the steamy bath. This was a regular ritual on Saturday nights when I was left with her by my parents for the weekend. Then she'd bundle me up in fancy satin pajamas, and we'd watch Carol Burrnett and Vincent Price movies before bed.
Still convinced her house was haunted. Scary. But welcoming. That house still haunts my dreams. Roscoe and I lived there for years together.
Despite yelling at me a lot, she treated me like a princess at night, always making sure (after I worked a full day cleaning) that I smelled of expensive parfume before bed. I still wear fancy pajamas when I want to spoil myself, especially on vacation. Nanny always told me to have nice PJs on hand in case you need to be hospitalized. Ah the rituals of Lithuanians.
Still convinced her house was haunted. Scary. But welcoming. That house still haunts my dreams. Roscoe and I lived there for years together.
Despite yelling at me a lot, she treated me like a princess at night, always making sure (after I worked a full day cleaning) that I smelled of expensive parfume before bed. I still wear fancy pajamas when I want to spoil myself, especially on vacation. Nanny always told me to have nice PJs on hand in case you need to be hospitalized. Ah the rituals of Lithuanians.
Here's her bad-ass self:
Wounds three men with two shots. Protecting my Grandfather. Arrested for assault and battery. That's my girl ;)
Here's my tattoo of her:
Great story. Wow she was a badass!
ReplyDeleteWow, cool.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely tattoo you have of her..Especially the nuances like the gun.
ReplyDeleteTx guys! xxxooo
ReplyDeleteAnd now I know the story behind that tattoo! I love how this post balanced the irritations of childhood and having to clean (my mom was like that too), with the obvious undercurrent of love. I smiled at the bouquets of flowers for the dinner table, I wish we still lived in simpler times like that, where a woman's role was much more clear (and easier too, IMHO). The newspaper clipping made this story even more fun, as now we know that your grandmother had a fiery side to her, which is suspect might have been handed down a couple generations! ;-) Beautiful tribute post, Ruby, thank you so much for sharing her with us! XOXO
ReplyDelete