Gracie and a New Beach Experience

“Let’s go to the beach,” says “Suzie” enthusiastically.  Gracie has her doubts as she remembers her last visit to a beach, which was a compilation of humiliation, danger, and surprise. She knows from a radio talk show that the number one fear for women going to the beach is being seen in a bathing suit, but there are other things to fear as she quickly finds out.

The waves don’t really look very big, so Gracie is surprised at losing her footing and being knocked on all fours before the water has even reached her thighs. She spits sea water out of her mouth and snorts it out of her nose, as the sand is pulled from underneath of her each time she attempts to get up.  She worries about her left leg as she feels a jab of pain near her knee, where she underwent much physical therapy to get the IT band limber. She’s up.  No she’s down; spit and snort.   This goes on for about three rounds until finally someone grabs her by the arm and pulls her forward.  Her rescuer, a young girl about age 12, commands Gracie, “arriba!” and struggles to drag her out of the ocean.  She is sweet and even tolerates Gracie’s oft-repeated ”Muchas Gracias!!” Thank heaven for that girl’s tenacity.  Gracie doesn’t feel embarrassed, just grateful for her rescue.  Her host eggs her on to go back in the water and she thinks “Is he nutters or just a misogynist?”  Later on, though, she discovers that he didn’t know she had run into difficulties in the ocean, so obviously he is neither. Today’s beach experience has got to be better than that one. 

The Common Lake Gull

For starters, it’s Lake Michigan, not the Atlantic Ocean.  Gracie and “Suzie” pick up their beach chairs and walk a few blocks to the beach, which has little, gentle waves.  The water is quite cold, even though it’s August.  Gracie prefers Caribbean temperatures so she won’t be venturing in too far.  They set up their spot for sitting, and relax, talking about their children, cooking, baking, art, and massaging their feet in the sand.  She looks out at the sea gulls but is corrected in that they are "lake" gulls. There is also Indiana’s oldest and only surviving lighthouse built in 1858.

The lighthouse has an interesting history.  In 1861, Miss Harriet Colfax, a multi-talented voice and piano teacher, and typesetter, added lighthouse keeping to her list of accomplishments.  She took care of the light for 43 years, finally retiring in 1904 at age 80.  In all her record-setting years of service the light never failed between sunset and sunrise.  She died on April 16, 1905.  What a remarkable woman she must have been.

Back in the present, Suzie picks up a flat black stone and promises to make it into a souvenir of Gracie’s visit.  Later, but not much later, as promised, she turns it into a miniature work of art.   Suzie instructs Gracie:  “when the waves get rough, look to the light.”   It has a place of honor on her car’s dashboard to this very day. 

Copyright © 2015 Martina Sabo

Gracie and a Fount of Creativity

It’s time to enjoy Cuz’s better half “Susie”, a wonderful, fun loving person, bubbling with creativity.

Her art adorns the walls of the local Methodist church - from the mural in the church sanctuary down to cartoon-like animals for the nursery children to delight in.  There is nothing like a Noah’s Ark to provide entertaining subject matter!  The penguins and camels catch Gracie’s interest.   Penguins are Gracie’s favorite animals, and the camels remind her of a fulfilling activity she did in the past. 

When Gracie would hear of someone who needed a little extra help over a bump in life her heart would ache, as she often was not in a position to help those people herself.  So she would email darn near everyone she knew, describing the situation at hand without mentioning any names, and ask her friends if they would donate a small sum. It was always within the community and the response was always just enough to cover anything from one month's rent to underwear for a family. She called this the Camelid Trust (a name inspired by Christ’s teachings on wealth in Matthew 19:24).

Susie and Her Dad

Norwegian Rosemåling  

Gracie Slept Here

Mordiford Heart

Suzie and Cuz’s home is filled with yet more manifestations of her many talents.  The walls are accented with her paintings.  Some are come from her imagination, such as the painting for her mother’s living room, which picks up the yellow and orange colors of a typical seventies décor – created to help pull the room together.  Others are taken from black and white photographs such as the ones Susie and her Dad and of Susie’s aunt in England.  Norwegian Rosemåling covers a chest in one of the bedrooms and another bedroom has a painting and homemade bedspread and drapes.   Gracie is thrilled when “Suzie” gives her a wheat weaving based on the Mordiford Heart, a design that originated on the English/Welsh border and later gained significance in Ireland.  Receiving one is considered good luck.

On a Good Old Iron Skillet

More creativity in the kitchen, where Gracie is taught to make griddle scones using "Suzie's" mother's recipe.  She learns that the pronunciation of "scone" is based on where you are from in Scotland so it's not scone (rhymes with own) but "scawn" (rhymes with lawn).  Gracie has to promise that she won't share the recipe with anyone else; a request she will honor of course. She knows she will make "scawns" often as the recipe is compatible with food storage items. Gracie maintains that "a good cook is a good thief", because she believes that all cooks have a specialty that they make better than anyone else Gracie considers it one of her missions in life to collect as many of those recipes as possible.  She will return to "Suzie's" kitchen in the coming year to learn the intricacies of Scottish shortbread.  What is your best dish and will you share that recipe with Gracie?

Copyright © 2015 Martina Sabo

Gracie and Family History

Gracie has no desire to leave the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.   She embarks much later than planned on her five-hour journey to visit one of her cousins in Indiana.  He is a first cousin once removed or a second cousin, or is that the same thing?  Gracie is not clear on which, but this generation has taught Gracie a lot about her family and life. 

Another cousin from another state gave Gracie an insight into her  grandmother, who was widowed in her early forties. Grandma was very fond of Elvis Presley, which puzzled Gracie until this cousin shared her feelings about being widowed at the same age.  She said, “It was very difficult to be left alone with four children, getting a job, juggling everything and getting over the shock of his untimely death.  What I missed the most was that all of a sudden, I was no longer a woman. When I was doing the dishes, he no longer sauntered up behind me, put his arms around me, caressed me and whispered sweet loving words in my ear and then nibbled my neck.  That part of me was extinguished.”  Even after all these decades it is evident she still cherishes him. It is said that women reach their sexual peak around the age these women were widowed.  Gracie never thought of her grandmother as having sexual desires. Gracie chuckles to herself, as she remembers that when they were children she and her friends thought that their parents only made love once for each child they conceived.  Being older and having children of her own, Gracie grins as she incorporates this knowledge into her understanding of Grandma. Suddenly her interest in the gyrating King of Rock and Roll makes plenty of sense. 

Gracie drives and eventually stops at a rest area for a bathroom break.  She worries that she will reach the Indiana Cousins far later than she said she would.  Gracie is time zone impaired, however this time it is working in her favor.  She knows the sun travels east to west but can’t convert this information into clock hours in her head.  She will gain an hour because of a time zone change and it bewilders her that she  will drive 5 hours and possibly get to her destination on time.  Did the computer printout of her route already compute the time change in or not?  To be honest, this is beyond her so she just keeps the pedal to the metal and keeps on driving. 

 She arrives to a warm welcome.  This meeting came about because  this previously unknown cousin put things in motion by sending  a letter to Gracie inquiring if she had any information about a man who turned out to be their common ancestor — his grandfather, her great- grandfather. At the time she almost didn't open the letter because of the way it was addressed.   She was about to toss it in the trashcan when a voice in her heart said, “just read the letter.” “Do you know who my Grandfather is?” seems like a simple question, but Gracie remembers the family story about a set of identical twins, who swapped husbands.  How to tell someone you don’t know about the skeleton in the family closet?  He might just be fine with the information, but then again he might not.  She ponders this for a couple of days and eventually telephones him and explains the situation.  Yes, they have a common ancestor but Gracie isn't sure of his grandfather’s identity, as it could be either one of two men. “Cuz”, as she now affectionately calls him, chuckles and says “this will be an interesting genealogical research project indeed….” And he is right.  With his research skills and her people skills, they make a great team

He finds two living common relatives and he and Gracie decide that personable Gracie will approach this cousin and see if she can shed any light on their question.  Unfortunately, one of these two “new” cousins will have nothing to do them meaning Gracie and the genealogist cousin.  However, “Julie” (not her real name) is willing to talk to Gracie on the phone. The family history plot thickens when Gracie discovers that there was only one man involved and he fathered children with both of the twins.  (From henceforth, his nickname is Frisky!) The other cousin, Julie’s sister  remains unwilling to talk about all this as it opened old wounds for her.  Happily, “Julie” is willing to talk about her memories of picnics with everyone, her sadness at seeing her dad in the park with her aunt, not her mother.  Despite being told the woman was her mother by the friend that was with her, she knew better.  More conversations reveal that there is yet another cousin a generation down on the family tree.  It’s time to lay the past to rest.  They meet at “Julie’s” home, over Kentucky Fried Chicken, look at pictures, and discuss memories.   Everyone concerned feels uplifted and healed.  Gracie is still in touch with all of them.  To Gracie this is a testament to the fact that families can be together for a long time if not forever.

Copyright © 2015 Martina Sabo