Mayberry Meanderings

In August we have our Graveyard Dinner; in November,
over the first weekend of DEER SEASON we have a
Firehouse Chili Supper. The local volunteer fire department
is a rural institution. Ours (Highway K Fire Department)
came into being around 18-20 years ago. Besides putting
out fires, their main business is to raise money. If they
don't raise money, they can't put out fires. Therefore
the Chili Supper. Our family was represented en force.
Mama and Papa (my parents), Kent, Princess Daugher
and I, and Philippine Sister (visiting from the Big City)
and niece Annie all attended. Oh, and of course,
Grandma Opal came.

A few days ago Kent and I were at Grandma's house
playing cards. Do we ever do anything else there? I
trounced her. It was great. I looked at her hands and
I said, "Why Grandma, your nails are painted, who did
that for you?" "I did," was her answer, "I don't have
any problems with the left hand, but the right is tricky."

She is gloating over being 96. I have noticed a funny thing
about people. From the time of being 2 or 3 until the early
20's we want to be older than we are. "I am 4 and 1/2" or
"I'll be 18 next month." We feel that once we get to that
next step we will have arrived somewhere. Then from the
mid-twenties through about 75 we want to seem younger
than we are, and there may even be a little fudging of the
true age. Some of us get stuck at 29 or 39 for years. But,
sometime after 75, we want to be older again. I guess we
feel there is more honor or achievement in the next year
up for us. And so, Grandma was talking about her age as
96 well before she got there, but now she is an honest
woman again and truly 96. For a few months that is, I'll
let you know when she begins to speak of being 97.

But, back to the Firehouse Chili Supper. Philippine Sister
(Becky) came in after us. She had the privilege of bringing
G'ma Opal there. We watched her follow G'ma through the
food line and then make it over to where we had seats
saved. Becky got there first and she said, "Grandma is
so stubborn. She wouldn't let me get her food for her,
she wouldn't let me help her carry her food. She just kept
saying, 'I can do it myself.'" Now that was big news. She's
finally in on the Big Family Secret. How'd we keep her
in the dark so long. She found out about Santa when she
was 12; we did really good on this one.