Tuesday, August 12, 2008

It occurs to me...

how very much I am becoming my grandmothers. I seem to have skipped right over my mother and landed on the "grands" and "greats."

First there's the shape of my upper arms, which look exactly like my mother's mother's arms used to--she is thinner, now--and her mother's arms before her. General shape of my body: CHECK. The authoritative eyebrow raise: I've always had that; my mother tries, bless her heart, but looks a bit... confused or something. (She has other ways to exert authority.) And then there's my hands...fatty and wrinkly. An...odd...combination. Finally the old lady purse hold. I don't know that any of my female forebears actually did this, but they must or must have as it seems nearly universal. To wit: the first picture in the last post. (Go ahead and check it out; I'll wait...) I was re-studying it after Ma and BFF commented on it and noticed: There! Look!! It's a grandma. Ramrod straight posture with her hands folded protectively and a bit defiantly over her very large purse. Yes, there are tissues in it, but no hard candies. Gum, sure. Mints, check. Wait... That's what Ma's ma always had when I was a kid. Should I be scared or grateful or both?
This is Ma's ma's ma. Known as Nana to my mother and Grandma Nana to my brother and I. (If I can dig up my senior pic, I'll edit it in for comaparison...but, basically, I was "doomed" [j/k] from the start.)
This is Grandma Nana with me as a baby:
This is Grandma Louie (Mary Louise Taylor to you, chump) and me as a baby:
And this is me with my niece Syd Vicious shortly after her birth:
Discuss amongst yourselves.

3 comments:

Amy said...

I'm turning into my mother as I get older. I'm torn as to whether turning into her mother would be better or worse, lol.

Vicki said...

All you're missing in the pic is a pair of dainty white gloves clutched in your right hand. Are your ankles primly crossed? I can't tell. The picture cuts off. I'd bet $5 they are. :)

If you don't have dainty white gloves already, make sure you buy some when/if we move to PA. And a big floppy hat. You'll need them for our daily teas/luncheons.

Or we could work the NJ rich Jewish/Italian housewife aesthetic and rock matching fake tans, boobs and nails, way too much gold and diamond jewelry and velour track suits. I'll pick you up in my giant, silver Lexus SUV and we'll go to Stahbuks and kvetch over a cuppla lah-tays.

Anonymous said...

LOL...I knew I was never pulling off the "authoritative eyebrow raise", LOL Try as I might....and lately if I try it Syd shoots it right back at me! Not good at all, LOL.
I have Mom's thighs...but keep them covered most of the time.
I think that I am beginning to take after Kate, though (physically) I notice that the way I carry myself (especially if I'm having bad pain) is the way Kate carried herself...which probably means she was having pain too.
Love,
Mom

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