HUCKLEBERRY PIE

H U Huckle
B U Buckle
T U Tuckle Y

H U Huckle
B U Buckle
Huckleberry Pie.

That little ditty is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about my grandmother. That was her version and she recited it often. I absolutely adored my grandmother. No "Nana" or "Grams;" just "Grandmother." My favorite relative to visit. My favorite relative to be around. Grandmother just made me feel good. She was feisty. She was spunky. She had a mind of her own. She was a stubborn cuss. Dad said Mom, Grandmother, and I were three peas in a pod. I always resented that statement, and Dad said it a lot, but now... Na, I'm honored to be compared to her.

Most of our summer trips were spent visiting relatives in Oklahoma and Missouri. My grandparents lived in a mobile home, and I always enjoyed spending time with them. Grandmother was a great cook and we ate well. Grandmother also took the time to play games and one of our favorites was caroom. This game was played on a square board with four netted pockets on each side. You use a cue stick to hit a round, white playing piece into a pile of shiny, round red and green pieces and try to get your designated color into one of the pockets. Grandmother didn't use the cue stick. She smacked that sucker around like a marble with thumb and middle finger. Of course, I had to lose the cue stick as well and the only thing I ever came away with were sore nails. Yes, Grandmother was tough.

Mom's brother had a stroke when he was 44 and moved in with my grandparents six years later. After Granddad died, the burden was all upon my grandmother's shoulders, and she did it for 18 years.

Grandmother's favorite place was the yard and flower bed--well, at least that's where she spent a lot of her time. She mowed the lawn, trimmed and edged, and knelt down in the flower beds to weed until she was 89 years old. Unfortunately, Grandmother's mowing days ended once the mower threw a rod which ruined the motor. It was as if she had lost her best friend.

Grandmother took aspirin and pain pills and developed bleeding ulcers--huge holes in the lining of her stomach with profuse bleeding. She was admitted to the ICU and Grandmother became confused and didn’t even believe she was in the hospital. She even palmed her meds and believed the nurses were trying to kill her. To ensure her safety, Grandmother had to be strapped down to the bed. Every time anyone came into her room, Grandmother pointed to the straps and asked, “Do you have a knife or a pair of scissors?” Later she had a stroke and was never the same.

Toward the end Grandmother was transported down from Houston to Austin into a nursing home to be closer to us. It was difficult going to see her and tears rolled down my face as I caught just a slight glimpse. Grandmother was asleep. She looked so weak and so fragile. Not the vibrant, gutsy lady that brightened up my days. The main thing I noticed was the sunken mouth and on the nightstand lay her set of false teeth. It's odd how the facial structure changes when one's teeth are gone. Visiting with Grandmother would have to wait for another day.

When we went back the next morning, the tears started falling before I could even get out of the car. I knew the end was near, and I didn't want to lose the person who made me smile and made me laugh. Grandmother was my role model…my rock…my heart. As I walked in her room, our eyes met. Although she could not speak, her eyes lit up--I knew she recognized me and believed it gave her comfort. That would be my last memory.

Grandmother died in 1999, two months short of her 95th birthday. Mom has always said Grandmother would have gotten the biggest kick knowing she died on April Fool's Day.

Whether it was true or not, I always thought I was her favorite. Although never really telling her the depth of my love, I'm sure Grandmother knew, possibly when our eyes met on that final day.