Daily "Impressions": In Loving Memory of Grandma

On January 28 my paternal grandmother, Louise Picker, passed away. My sister wrote the best description of her saying, "Louise was such a sweet, comfortable soul. The perfect Grandma and ever the proper lady. An impeccable seamstress, legendary baker, devoted church member, she had the highest work ethic I've ever known. She raked leaves, cleaned up acorns, excercised and painted her own basement until she was 97...she always had something positive to say and if she didn't she kept quiet. She was honorable and silently taught others to be that way by her example. She always wore nylons and pumps-never sneakers-and that alone is admirable! She loved her family, lived to cheer at many graduations, birthday parties and danced at all of our weddings. She perfected the recipe for good, clean living: ivory soap and metamucil. She rolled up that beautiful, full white hair of hers and slept on those prickly curlers nearly every single night of her life and still managed to smile in the morning. She used quintessential Midwestern words like "pocketbook", "davenport", "crimeny" and "pop". She walked all over Europe with us, learned to say "Stop that man!! He stole my purse!!" in German in advance of her first trip just in case she found herself face to face with a thief at what she imagined to be the very edge of civilization. Instead, she found the graves of her Oster ancestors in the "Old Country" and cried for their hardships, remembering the stories of her childhood. She vowed to never again use the ladies room in France after experiencing a country rest stop that consisted of a hole in the floor and no doors...and she staunchly lived up to that promise! She made the best bubble-making fluid of all time and had an impressive repertoire of crafty, handmade gifts-my favorite being the felt Santa Claus toilet seat cover...you lifted the lid and santa was underneath hiding his eyes as if embarrassed at the possibility of seeing your bum. It makes me laugh every time & will never get old! She lived to see 7 Great-Grandchildren and smiled at them with a full set of her own teeth at 97! She would rub my arm in church to keep me quiet, let me play with her bangle bracelets and always carried Chiclets in her purse to entice us to behave. She was a safe harbor, a familiar, comforting refuge for a family that moved so frequently. She called me "sweetie-pie" and made little monogrammed, lacy pillows that I still sleep with every night despite the fact that I'm 38. How very lucky we are to have had her in our lives for so long! I hope she's dancing with Hermie in Heaven at last, but I'll miss her terribly." To which I would add memories that I, being the eldest grandchild, may exclusively hold. She not only used ivory soap herself, but shampooed her yard with it - and there wasn't a bug nor a weed that would DARE to live on her turf! She also used her yard as her tread mill - raking leaves or acorns endlessly, and bending at the waist to pick up sticks and remain limber. Being allergic to chemical fragrances, she used Crisco on her face as cold cream and had the MOST beautiful skin - as if she'd been airbrushed like a movie star photo. She loved flowers and had a gorgeous bouquet of tulips each year that the Easter Bunny hid many an egg in for her grandchildren. As I got older, and began to show an avid interest in family history, she started my collection of family photos by taking her photos to Walgreen's in Streator and having them copied. She was always on the lookout for the right gift to give us for Christmas, so she really enjoyed doing that instead of what she considered her "back up" gift - a crisp $50 bill in pre-wrapped boxes that you could open without unwrapping. We would immediately hand them back to her and tease that she would need them next year! Of course, that gift was usually alongside some craft made by her - I have quite the collection of Christmas ornaments, quilted table centerpieces and decorations. She always had a project - and always had some pre-made on hand for whatever occasion might require a quick gift.

I'm looking forward to going to her house, for what might be the last time, and smelling the lingering familiar smells of grandma......a hint of the millions of cookies she baked over the years, with a touch of damp basement and fresh paint, a light touch of Elmer's glue from all the crafts and sewing, topped off with ivory soap. Amazing how strong memory smells can be!

This is a video dedication that Dave and I put together for her service on Feb. 3.

The funeral service will be at the Lutheran Church where she was a founding member, and served as secretary for many years. I hope the "Monster Storm" that is crossing MO will pass in time for family members from each coast to attend.

Our yard looks like this before nightfall, but we are still expecting some snowfall. This is all accumulated sleet - 3 inches! It's like having your grass covered in snow cone!