ask grandma j

Once Upon a Time....

....long before there was a Grandma J, there was a Grandma Rita. Besides Rita, some called her Mom, some called her Grandma, others called her Reet, and the people at the Social Security office called her Mary.

A bit of history and background…Rita was a stay at home mom, who played gin rummy all day and almost raised all five of her children before she was widowed in the 70’s. Not one to let the world pass her by, she went to real estate school. And let’s say it’s a given that Rita became an accomplished and successful Realtor.

Now with that being said, Rita had a few incidents in her day that caused a barrage of rumors some personal embarrassment, but in retrospect, were funny...and will eventually become family folklore. Great grandkids will be convinced our family is right up at the top of the Urban Legends list, willing to make up scenarios where older relatives have unfortunate accidents for the sake of a good laugh....or, for lack of a better word, liars.

This incident is one I posted to another blogger’s comment section in response to some rather hilarious emails her mother sent her, back when she was allowed to have email. Still waiting to hear that explanation.

My mother had one of those oscillating sprinklers that go back and forth.





One summer morning she ran outside to the backyard "for a split second" to move it to the other side of the backyard. She had to run so she wouldn't get wet...and she was naked.



Well as she tried to hurry back to the sliding patio door, she slipped on the wet cement and pulled a muscle in her back.....there shy lay as the sprinkler kept swaying back and forth, getting her soaked. In the meantime, the man next door, a teacher home for the summer, playing Mr. Mom, shouted out his upstairs window....

"Rita, you can't sunbathe like that, my kids can see you from up here"....

*Disclosure: No animals or grandmothers were permanently hurt or injured in anyway. Just slightly embarrassed, but more than willing to tell everyone they knew, including the folks at the local car wash what happened.