My maternal grandmother died Aug. 25, 1984. She was 83. She lived most of her life in a small town in northwest Indiana that was, and probably still is, much like Mayberry from “The Andy Griffith Show.” The Mayberry comparison extended to my grandpa, the town marshal. He was also the fire chief, garbage man, meter reader, mailman and anything else that needed done. Like Sheriff Taylor, he was an affable and polite guy. Grandma was a different story: nothing like any Mayberry character. More like Mama from “The Carol Burnett Show” and “Mama’s Family,” only larger and sassier.
After my parents married in 1954, they settled in northwest Iowa. From then until Grandma died, my mom and my grandma wrote to each other at least monthly. That’s a lot of letters, and Grandma always had an interesting way of putting things.
The day a letter from Grandma arrived was an event in our household. Mom or Dad would often read the letter to us over dinner, which was occasionally a bad idea: In Grandma’s world, no topic was off limits and she delighted in including every stomach-churning detail with certain subjects (usually something to do with her “bowels”).
Fortunately, my dad had the foresight to keep some of her more entertaining letters. “Crazy Letters From Grandma” is a collection of her odd stories and even odder insights over those 30 years.
Crazy Letters From Grandma 
I wish I had met this lady. Through these remembrances, I think we’ll get to know her pretty well! Hurry and share the next one, please!
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Please tell me you have more stories? Not fair to dangle a carrot without following thru! 🙂
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Yes, many more. I’m pacing myself to one story a month. Next one is coming up shortly.
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That’s a great story. Thanks for giving it the light. It’s really wonderful that you’re giving your late grandmother some exposure. Local humor is the best humor. We all have crazy stories in our families, but they don’t always see light of day. Thanks for letting us into your family. Nice to know my family wasn’t the only one with oddball characters (present company included).
And, hey, thanks for stopping by AHintOfLight.com. I’ll check back for more of grandma.
Pat
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Thanks Pat. I’ve been sitting on these letters for about 25 years. It’s always been one of those “one of these days I’m going to do something with that” projects. The time has come.
Craig
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