Redheaded Jill

A couple weeks ago, when I was on my mini birthday trip, I surprised my Grandma.

She had no idea I was coming, because I didn’t want to call her in case it didn’t work out. I showed up at 9:00 a.m. and she had just gotten out of bed. (I was shocked because she used to get up and go for walks with my Grandpa every day at 5 a.m.)

She was so sweet when I got there. I asked if I could drive her to lunch, so she got ready and we headed to Owasso, Oklahoma. (That’s where the closest Braums is, and Braums is a family tradition.)

We went and ate lunch, then I talked her into going grocery shopping. We walked through Aldi, and I have to say, Grandma is impressive! She is 90 years old, has had two knee replacements, and still uses a walker instead of a scooter or wheel chair. We hobbled through Aldi like we owned the place. Grandma got some new snacks to try, we found some beautiful peaches and inexpensive honey.

I drove Grandma home and put the groceries away, and then I told her I needed to leave soon. Of course I didn’t leave empty handed. She gave me so many things out of her fridge, onions, peaches, cereal, crackers… Then we decided to run to the pharmacy for some candy.

This small town pharmacy has a window for people to get their prescriptions. Well… My Grandma and one other woman in town drive to the window and ask them to do their shopping. (I convinced Grandma I need to see the candy myself, so I went inside instead of asking the pharmacist to shop for me…)

It makes me laugh. Grandma definitely sets her own rules and people just… let her because why not? Now, in her defense, the road by the pharmacy parking lot (which is very tiny) is a major road and it’s dangerous for to drive. The drive thru window is by the back alley so she can take backroads home. I appreciate that the small town pharmacist tolerates her window shopping in the name of safety.

I then spent 30 minutes convincing Grandma I really needed to head back and join my traveling party. What I intended to be a 3-4 hour adventure ended up taking 7+ hours… but it was worth it.

I don’t get to see Grandma often, and though we can talk on the phone she’s hard of hearing so it’s kind of stressful.

Grandma is a gifter. She likes giving things away and shopping for others. Her love language is 100% giving gifts. She is generous and well intentioned. I have lots of good memories of time spent with Grandma.