Grandma Lu Tells On Herself

"Oh, Grandma Lu, I didn't think that you were ever bad. You are too old to be bad," said Marlee. Grandma Lu chuckled and said, "You are absolutely right. I was never bad; I was the perfect child!" Grandma B started choking on her coffee and spewed coffee all over her lap. "I can't believe you just said that Grandma Lu. There is no way that you were good all the time."

Some grownups had walked into the Sitting Room and were listening to the stories that Grandma Lu was telling about her cousin, Bonnie Jean. They laughed too, because they knew that none of us are perfect. Everyone gets into mischief at one time or another.

"Well, I thought I was perfect, I'll have you know," huffed Grandma Lu. I'm going to tell this story now, so quit your laughing so I can tell this."

"Well, one time when we were about eight or nine, Bonnie Jean's mama got really sick and so was her daddy. Uncle Roy brought Bonnie Jean and her little brother, Jim, out to the farm to stay for awhile. Well, I had never had anyone to play with really. My brother, Keith, was four years younger and my sister was twelve years older, so by the time that Bonnie Jean and her family came to the farm, she had left home to be in nursing school.

My mama had a really big freezer called a Cold Spot. It was about six feet long and held lots of food. In 1955 it cost over $400 so you can imagine how much money that was to my parents. I can remember my daddy selling a cow to get money to buy things. We had a few head of cattle that were out in the field that he didn't milk.

My mother also dressed chickens to sell; she sold eggs and also pints of heavy whipping cream. They sold what milk we didn't need to a dairy. I can remember my mama putting a dozen cinnamon rolls on a paper plate, wrapped them in waxed paper and put a tag on them that said, $.35. Just think, thirty five cents for twelve big cinnamon rolls.

"Well it so happened that my mama and all the rest of the grownups were not in the house one day. Bonnie Jean used to tell this story, but I don't believe a word of it to this day. She said that my mama had made trays and trays of orange cookies with frosting on them to sell to the grocery store. Personally I think they were applesauce cookies with frosting on them. She said that we ate all the frosting off the top of the cookies."
Grandma Lu let out a gasp and covered her mouth with both hands. Oh Grandma B and the other grownups laughed. "You knew you and your cousin did that, didn't you, Grandma Lu? So you really weren't the perfect child after all."
Then Grandma Lu had to laugh at herself. "No I wasn't the perfect child at all I'm afraid. I had my days of getting into mischief just like the rest of you."

(Grandma Lu's brother, Keith was quietly sitting in the corner grinning typing on his computer. He was taking notes to tell his children that his sister wasn't perfect like she always told them she was.)

Grandma Lu took out her phone and said, "Here is a picture of the two of us when we were about two or three, just about your age, Marlee. I looked like my dad and Bonnie Jean looked just like hers. We both had bows in our hair just like you wear. My mama made what she called "long curls" for my hair. She wrapped my hair around her finger in the morning and she said it stayed like that all day."

Someone asked Grandma Lu where she lived when she was a little girl. That started another story.