Our family received very sad news on Friday. My grandmother - known to all of us grandchildren as Mimi - passed away. She was 86 and, more importantly, deeply loved.
So that Becka and I can attend the services, the shop will not open until 1pm on Monday and Tuesday. At that time, the incredible Amanda will be there to help you with all your fibery, knitting needs. We will be back to regular hours on Wednesday.
Mimi was a very special lady and very dear to us. How can I best describe her?
She always wore dresses or skirts, never pants. I'm not sure why. Perhaps she didn't like them. I always liked to think that she felt they weren't ladylike.
She made the best pie crust I have ever tasted. And her 'Oh Henry bars? Heaven. Pure heaven.
Her cookie jar was always full.
She tried to feed you until you exploded - and then it was time for dessert. No protesting that you were full, or that was enough. She knew best, and you needed to eat.
She drank tea from china cups.
She loved roses.
She wrote the most lovely notes, telling you how much she and Grampy loved you.
She was filled beyond the bursting point -often erupting into tears - with pride for us all, no matter how small or big our achievements. As my brother Dan said last night, she was proud of us beyond any actual measure of our true accomplishment. And it was nice. Nice to have someone so solidly in your corner.
If we were hurting, she was in utter distress. You almost didn't want to tell her if something was wrong.
We didn't always agree. Politics, religion, and gender roles were touchy subjects. I remember telling her once when I was in middle school that I wanted to be a US senator when I grew up. Oh, Chessie, she said. Just marry one instead.
She had a enviable sense of humor. Her stories and comments were colorful and full of life. We all have memories of classic Mimi-isms.
My friends adored her, always saying that she was exactly what a grandmother should be like, and she was. Because regardless of anything else, she loved us with all her heart.
I shall carry her love, her humor, and her pie crust recipe with me always. I will think of her as I drink from my china tea cups and cut my roses. And one day, if I am lucky enough to have grandchildren of my own, I will love them fiercely and the cookie jar will always be full.