Toast to K w/a K's Grandma

When someone can find and hold on to humour in the face of a loved one passing away, that's a beautiful thing. I want to be able to remember the things about someone that I loved, and the time I did get to share with them rather than the time I will no longer have with them. It is like a clearing of the personal schedule, that time has now been made available for someone else.

My friends mother passed away just this weekend, and she still jokes about when her and her Dad moved her into the home which was still fairly recently. She was 97 years old and an alcoholic. I think if you make it to that age, you've bloodly well earned the right to be an alcoholic. Her grocery bill when living at home was about $35 a week compared to her booze bill which was $130.

She was born the year before the Titanic sank which in itself should give you some indication of the stubbornness and sheer will to make things happen. She came from a time when pioneers created the world we live in today, they made something out of nothing and not only survived but flourished leaving their children a world full of opportunity.

One of the rules of the home she was moved into was no booze in the room. Well one of the big jokes was she gave K w/a K's Dad a shopping list that consisted of:

• Cheesies
• Chips
• Bottle of Gin
• Bottle of Rye
• Bottle of Vodka

He showed it to the ladies running the home on the way out and they all laughed. She maintained she could just "hide it under her bed"... but as they pointed out the cleaning lady would find it, "well then I'll hide it under my pillow" was the response.

The biggest joke we had though, was after she threatened to buy a one way ticket to PEI where presumably one of her cousins would buy her booze... She had started with $20 and then someone had given her $70 more... and we could just see her calling up the cab company and saying in her Grandma voice

"Hello is this the cab company? I've got $90, bring me as much booze as you can... and pretend you're my son. If you can get in here without letting anyone see that you have booze the $90 is yours!"

So this weekend we raised a vodka jello shooter in honour of grandma. Cheers may she enjoy Happy Hour 24hrs a day from now on.