We Called Her Mémère

My maternal grandmother, Mémère, had 16 grandchildren. Of the 16 she had favorites, and I was one of them. My mother became very ill after I was born, and she took care of me until my mother recovered. Perhaps, that's when the close attachment began. She loved me unconditionally, I'm sure of that. The other grandchildren teased me about being her "pet", and I knew it was true, because she treated us differently, even though she was good to all her grandchildren.

She was a fine, upstanding Catholic lady who spent a good deal of time in church, however, on many a Friday evening she headed out by taxi to one of the illegal gambling establishments in Jefferson Parish, adjacent to New Orleans. On occasion, the police conducted raids on the gambling houses, but my grandmother never got caught. That would have been a hoot. I believe the mafia owned the place she patronized, and the police were well-paid for mostly staying away. It's also possible that the owners were warned of the raids when they came.

She had more than her share of alcoholics in the family, including one son and several sons-in-law, and even as she said, "I damn every drop of liquor that was made", she continued to serve wine on holidays, and she drank the occasional toddy and even gave me a light hot toddy sometimes when I had a cold and fever. She was a prime example and influence for me in living with ambiguities and being a bit of a rebel.

But it was her love for me that I remember most. She would not have refused me anything within reason, and when I'd had enough of the turmoil in my own home, I'd go to spend a few peaceful days at her house, my place of refuge. She'd cook my favorite meals and coddle and pamper me for a spell.

She spanked me only once, when I was about 6 years old. As we were walking home from church one Sunday, my wide-brimmed straw hat blew off my head as we were crossing the street. I turned and ran to get it, nearly into the path of a car. She was so frightened that when we reached her house, she gave me a good one.

Mémère was a gifted pianist and could have had a career playing concert piano, but she married and had seven children, as women were expected to do in those days. I believe that she was frustrated for the rest of her life that she was too busy to keep up with her music. We'd beg her to play, and sometimes she would, but she was so upset when she made a mistake that she wouldn't oblige us often.

She was a superb Creole cook. She spent much of her life in the kitchen, cooking three hot meals each day and having a large crowd of children and grandchildren over for Sunday dinner each week. She never cooked from recipes. Her mother taught her, and she picked up skills on her own. My mother, and my sisters, and I tried to mimic her dishes as best we could, but none of us quite reached the high peak of the best of her dishes. I don't know how she did it.

I wrote the greater part of this post at OCICBW in the comments, and then I expanded it for use here on my humble blog.

Bailout Plan Explained!

Thanks to Doug.

Oh My! Tragic Black Friday

From the New York Daily News:

A Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island store Friday morning, police and witnesses said.

The 34-year-old employee, a temporary maintenance worker, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.

Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him.
....

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was knocked to the floor during the mad rush. She was hospitalized for observation, police said. Early witness accounts that the woman suffered a miscarriage were unfounded, police said.

Three other shoppers suffered minor injuries, cops said.

Wal-Mart spokesman Dave Tovar called the incident a "tragic situation."

Damn right it's tragic - and preventable. This is insanity! Shop till you drop or get trampled to death?

Hilary linked to this story in the comments.

Deep Thought For The Day

Death can be an adventure, but not everyone lives to tell about it.

From the Young Adult Library Association.

300,000 Deaths From AIDS Due To Mbeki's Denial

From the Guardian:

South African president's refusal to accept medical evidence of virus was major obstacle to providing medicine, say Harvard researchers.

The Aids policies of the former South African president Thabo Mbeki's government were directly responsible for the avoidable deaths of more than a third of a million people in the country, according to research by Harvard university.

South Africa has one of the severest HIV/Aids epidemics in the world. About 5.5 million people, or 18.8% of the adult population, have HIV, according to the UN. In 2005, there were about 900 deaths a day.

But from the late 1990s Mbeki turned his back on the scientific consensus that Aids was caused by a viral infection that could be fought – though not cured – by sophisticated and expensive medical drugs. He came under the influence of a group of maverick scientists known as Aids denialists, most prominent among whom was Peter Duesberg from Berkeley, California.
....

Following Mbeki's ousting from the leadership of the African National Congress in September, South Africa is now urgently pursuing new policies to get treatment to as many people as possible under a new health minister, Barbara Hogan.

I search in vain for words to comment on this horror.

Thanks (or no thanks) to Lapin for this, too.

Police Raid Grace And St. Stephen's Church

From the Colorado Independent:

More than 20 police officers raided the landmark Grace Church and St. Stephen’s in downtown Colorado Springs on Wednesday, marking the latest in the ongoing criminal investigation into whether the controversial Rev. Don Armstrong embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports that police raided Grace Church and St. Stephen’s Wednesday morning as part of the ongoing criminal investigation and seized financial records and computers.

The development is the latest in a complex story involving Armstrong and his followers who split form[sic] the Episcopal Church and joined the Episcopalian[sic] Diocese of Nigeria, whose archbishop once supported a law imposing five-year prison terms for gays and their supporters. Since then, Armstrong and his faction have kept physical possession of the historic and architecturally inspiring Grace Church and St. Stephen’s. The Episcopal Church of Colorado wants it back.
....

Read on about the Rev. Armstrong, who dodged a banana cream pie thrown at him and apparently parked illegally to buy a frappucino. As the reporter says, "Things have recently gotten a bit kooky."

Thanks to Lapin.

An Old Picture Of Me From Another Life

You didn't know that I was once in the movie business, did you? B-movies, I believe they were called, but I think that was a bit unfair. They seemed fine to me. I'm on the right in my Whirlpool Hollywood-Maxwell Bra. And I'm on the left holding the guy down with a gun. I can't quite remember the plot, but I'm wondering if the bra didn't do it for me, and the only way I could get a man was with a gun, although Annie Oakley says otherwise. My arm around his neck seems more fond than hostile, don't you think? You'll note that the movie is in color, too.

The picture is blurry, but if you click on it you'll get a clearer view. The words on the left say:

FLAMING PASSIONS AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF WEIRD ADVENTURE

Renz found the poster of the old movie and very kindly sent it to me.

UPDATE: I keep trying to get the poster clearer, but on second and third thought, it may be better left blurry. Clarity here may not fall into the category of "a good thing".

Proof That Men Have Better Friends

Friendship among Women:

A woman didn't come home one night. The next morning she told her husband that she had slept over at a friend's house. The man called his wife's 10 best friends. None of them knew anything about it.

Friendship among Men:

A man didn't come home one night. The next morning he told his wife that he had slept over at a friend's house. The woman called her husband's 10 best friends. Eight confirmed that he had slept over, and two said he was still there.

For your Black Friday morning pleasure.

UPDATE: Thanks to Doug.

Thought For The Day

Christianity is not so much a religion of optimism as a religion of hope.

Jane Redmont in When In Doubt, Sing.

I'm reading the book now, slowly, along with other books and magazines. Yes, I read more than one book at a time. Jane's book is quite good. You should buy it and read it. Buy from your locally owned bookstore, if you'd like to support them.

Giving Thanks

This picture from our back yard shows a satsuma tree with an orange tree behind it. I'm thankful to God and to Grandpère for the satsumas and oranges, and especially for the fresh orange juice that GP squeezes.

I'm thankful for my faith, my family and friends, my health, my home, my new president-elect, and all the bountiful riches in my life. The choicest riches are those which cannot be bought with money.

Prayer of General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p.101)

In honor of our Native American brothers and sisters:

An Iroquois Prayer

We return thanks to our mother, the earth, with sustains us. We return thanks to the rivers and streams,which supply us with water. We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases. We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters, the beans and squash, which give us life. We return thanks to the bushes and trees, which provide us with fruit. We return thanks to the wind, which, moving the air, has banished diseases. We return thanks to the moon and the stars, which have given us their light when the sun was gone. We return thanks to our grandfather He-no, .., who has given to us his rain. We return thanks to the sun, that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye. Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things for the good of his children.

A Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thanks to Diane and her post titled What We See for the inspiration to post the Iroquois prayer.