{photo by Mack Sennett in 1917: He was the person who filmed silent comedies and early talkies, and he made Charlie Chaplin famous. He knew how to film spontaneous moments and comedic moments.He was a photographer, film-maker,actor and artist.This photo shows how he can Catch the Moment....I was struck by how he caught these two girls reaching out to each other in the Moment.}
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I have been having dreams about my Grandmother Flo*. Summertime always reminds me of her. In the summer I used to stay with her and she used to make wonderful Sunday dinners, Baltimore Crabcakes ( her version), deviled eggs, potato salad, tomato aspic,and for dessert Ice Cream Pie. I used to sit on the counter and eat the melted Coffee Ice Cream. She would take me to Church Rummage sales and she let me buy any books I wanted,thanks to her I read Ian Fleming before I saw any Bond movies.She would take me to the library on Saturday mornings and let me lay on the marble floor chewing Juicy Fruit and reading in the Reference Section. I still am amazed that she didn't rush me or even question what I was doing. Later she took me to see Love Story, Dr.Zhiavago, and even my first Bond Movie.She always shared whatever she had, whether it be mini-sprinkled treasured Purells, cold coffee, or stale peppermint lifesavers in her purse.
When she went down the hall the faint smell of Yardley Lavendar soap and Camay soap,White Shoulders dusting powder and Estee Lauder Lemon Spray Mist perfume followed her. I would see my grandfather sniff the air when she walked by. At 10 I thought that was romantic, as much as watching them slow dance on the porch during a Thunderstorm. They had been listening to Johnny Mathis, but the music stopped due to the storm, but they kept dancing. She had her head on his shoulder, the soft auburn waves. He smelled of cherry tobacco and Old Spice aftershave, and he was lightly humming. She was wearing a cotton dress that lightly swished and she had bare feet....And there was an owl hooting in the old elm behind the house,and the scattered hum of crickets and frogs and it smelled of wet geraniums and roses. I dream about that evening alot.
I also dream about going shoe shopping with her. She and I wore the same size, 10AAA, not a real easy size to find anywhere. She had beautiful taste in shoes, she loved the Italian leathers in soft colors. All of her clothes were in soft colors, peaches and lilacs. At 10 she even let me try on the expensive shoes " so I would know what good shoes feel like". And she saved all of her old peach silk slips for me,because she knew how I loved them. And when my mother said" no "to Jeans, she took me shopping and bought me my very first pair of stonewashed straightlegged Lees.And she taught me how to patch them with beautiful scraps, confessing that she wished she could have been younger to wear them. She also bought me my first Carly Simon, and Beatles albums.She understood what a young soul needed.
The summer I was ten I had a bad summer full of normal childhood sufferings, and one night she came in and stroked my head and asked what was wrong. I sniffled "too much". And she continued stroking my head, " Even when Everything seems at it's darkest, it's not. And even when you feel the most alone, someone will always Reach Out, remember that." I have always wondered how she knew What to say, and that I needed to hear that.
We remember what we need and it finds us when we need it. And it reaches us even through the darkest and stormiest of nights.
[Click the title, it is Johnny Mathis singing "Chances Are"]
* [Other posts on Flo include "April 1968" and also" Grandmother Flo].
