Watch it, Buster

My grandmother, Mema, would have been 90 on Saturday. She looks sophistocated and refined in the above picture, but looks can be deceiving. Don't get me wrong: Helen Lee WAS a sophistocated lady, a social butterfly who could turn on the charm. But she could get down and dirty with the best of 'em too, and she wouldn't hesitate to tell you what she really thought. I remember so many things about her...

Everytime we went to Clemson, she would take us to Garrett's, the local department store. This was like Christmas to a little girl. We would spend what seemed like forever looking around the store; she could outlast all of us. Girlfriend knew how to shop. I think this sticks out in my mind for two reasons: she was full of energy AND generosity. She never hesitated to treat us to this routine shopping trip. She entered that store with a mission: to spoil her grandkids.

I also have memories of Mema in her kitchen. Fried chicken was her specialty, especially on Clemson's game days. After she passed away, I don't think we ever made it again. Which is how it should be- no one could make it like she could. And you didn't dare enter the kitchen when she and Tiger Paw were hard at work. She would quickly tell you to beat it. She liked her space and she enjoyed being in charge. Can't blame her. If you got in her way or you crossed her, you could hear her scruffy voice calling out, "Watch it, Buster!".

Mema used to sing "Lu Lu" to us when we were small. I have since taught my husband the song and I'm in the process of teaching Trafton. If you want your ears to bleed, ask me to sing it for you :) It's basically about a chicken-legged little girl named Lulu who goes upstairs to bathe. She ends up going down the drain with the water. Hmm. Sort of depressing- but the song and its sound effects were so fun. Once again, Mema's energy would come out when singing. She wouldn't hesitate to put her whole body into a song and belt it out.

 If there was any individual that she was in charge of, it was Tiger Paw. My grandpa may be stubborn, but he didn't stand a chance against his wife. Even after she was diagnosed with Alzeimer's, she remained feisty. I can't remember exactly, but I know it was probably 11 or 12 years until her passing; she hung on. She had memories to make and people to boss around. One of my favorite memories was a few years before she died. We were spending several days at their beach condo. I drove from college and arrived first; I was greeted by my grandparents. At this point in her life, Mema was no longer walking. She would occasionally belt out a show tune (old habits die hard!) but she was mainly quiet. My grandpa, on the other hand, enjoyed telling us how he felt about certain issues. Politics and history were two of his favorites. He would talk and talk; he didn't care if you responded or not. He informed me, after I arrived at the beach and unpacked, that he wanted to talk to me and my grandmother about the Declaration of Indpendence. Oh boy. Just what I wanted to do on vacation. After a 30 minute dissertation, Tiger Paw finally told us, "Alright, I'll get off my soapbox. I'll shut up now." My silent grandmother looked and at him and gruffly uttered, "YA PROMISE?!"

What a sense of humor! What a beautiful, adventurous, headstrong lady. What a lovely soul. I miss her so and I am thankful for the memories.