Michelle traveled to Florida with a friend last week, and since school had started and everyone was caught up in the madness that is school right now, we called in some reinforcements.

Well, one reinforcement.  Her name is Grandma.

Her name used to be Mom back when I first met her. She was and is a loving mother, but there is also a side to her that is no nonsense. 

Raised in the country, she came from the “just rub some dirt on it” school of curing illnesses.  Parents in those days said things like “straighten up” and “I don’t mean maybe” and “if you get in trouble at school, you’ll get worse at home.”

I got paddled in sixth grade (I was innocent), and I didn’t tell my parents about it until I was a sophomore in high school. 

So, it is interesting to see how this person once called Mom has evolved into a new and unrecognizable person called Grandma.

She appeared Monday night and I’m sure set about putting her plan in motion.  Since there are only two granddaughters and a maniac puppy at home now, the management would be somewhat easier. But I’m sure she had some type of plan brewing as soon as she got in the car to drive to our house.

We said our goodbyes to Michelle early in the morning, and off I went for day four of remote learning/online teaching. The stress all teachers and school officials are feeling right now was eased somewhat by the thought of Grandma holding down the fort at home.

Once the girls were out of bed and things were secure, she left the house in the able hands of the oldest granddaughter and roared down to Schnucks to lay in some supplies – even though there was some food already stocked in the house.

When I arrived at home, I was met by boxes of donuts, two half-gallons of ice cream, boxes of cereal, cartons of fruit, potato salad, gourmet bread, various meats and cheeses. Chili, hamburgers, grilled cheese and various meals had already been planned and scheduled as well.

“Well, I thought the girls might like to have some extra snacks and things around,” said Grandma.

For a while, I amused myself listening to how the maniac puppy had also wrapped Grandma around his paw. Even though he was on a fairly strict potty routine, Grandma was worried about messes in the house and chose to take him out every time he stared at her and ran to the door.  

I would imagine, in his doggy mind, he was saying “Look at this trick. All I have to do is look at her and she hops up or runs to the door.  I didn’t know I could teach humans to do tricks.”

The pup had Grandma take him outside on every whim, rarely doing his business but instead trying to eat every leaf, bug, and stick he could capture.  There was also a lot of romping and outdoor shenanigans. But who can blame him when he had such a willing and indulgent Grand-human there to cater to him?

As I got ready to leave the house that night for an appointment, I myself was happy as a clam to have a wide array of lunch meat, chips and the aforementioned potato salad (delicious, I might add) to sup on. I thought the girls would surely find something to eat as well, and knew they would be in good hands and well fed as I left for a couple of hours.

“Ready to order pizza, girls?”  

A house full of groceries and she was letting them order pizza. Who is this lady?

We missed Grandma when she left, and we were thankful for her visit. The dog really missed her, because after she left he proceeded to pull the staring-running-to-the-door-gag on me.

It didn’t work. Furthermore, I promptly went out and bought a leash that would accommodate a dog that wanted to be outside every minute of the day.  I don’t believe in leaving dogs tied up for long periods of time, but he could at least be harnessed for a few minutes if he needed that many potty breaks.

He soon got back to the old routine.

When I chastised my mother for spending too much money on us, she uttered the words that I have heard before.

“That’s what grandmothers do.”

Anyone for pizza? I’ll give you her number.