When I'm 86...

Pictures of my Babci...read on!

I'm inspired today to blog about my grandmother, aka Babci

Babci just had knee surgery last week. It should be said that Babci is not your typical 86 year old. Babci mowed the lawn by herself 2 days before the knee surgery. Then she wonders why she needs knee surgery.

Babci is off the boat from Poland, and though she's been in the US for 50+ years, she'll tell you her 'English is no good' (it's fine).

So I called Babci today to see how she was feeling after the knee surgery. She was recently moved from the hospital to the rehab facility. Since she does enjoy being self-sufficient, doing things like mowing her own lawn, I was expecting her to find the rehabilitation inhibiting, and thus, putting her in a bad mood. Imagine my surprise when I call and she answers cheerfully!

"Julia!!!" immediately I think, she must still be on some kind of meds.
"Hey, Babci! How are you doing?"
"I'm good!" in my head I think, "really?"
"Are you still on medication?" I ask, trying to solve the puzzle
"Some, but not like before" Huh. I'm still puzzled. I thought the morphine or codine would've been the case.
"Are you ready to leave? Do you like it there" Again, this is me thinking she is miserable and couldn't possibly be happy being cooped up.
"No, it's nice! People are nice" again, I think to myself, "really?"

Now, Babci is a people person and generally just loves attention. So I'm guessing if she has people visiting her and nurses taking care of her, she is probably happy.

"People are nice, huh?" I ask, determined to get to the bottom of this.
"Yes. They say I'm a trooper." Aha! The answer! She IS getting positive attention which she loves. I breathe a sigh of relief. It's not the codine.
"Well, you are a trooper, Babci" I tell her
"And your cousin Lauren called me yesterday" ahh...another form of attention. Well, done, Cousin Lauren.
"Oh yeah? That's nice" I say.
"I told her she better buy some of that good vodka." Now, most of you reading probably just stopped in your tracks. You are probably shocked to hear this from an 86 year old. I, however, am not at all surprised. I just know good blog material is coming...

"Yeah. Not the bad stuff, the good smooth vodka. Like the kind my friend who picks me up for Bingo on Thursdays brought back from Las Vegas" she says.

"Your Bingo friend? you don't say." My cousin lives in Chicago, however, so I ask, "do they have that good vodka in Chicago?"

"They should! They got everything else, the good Polish beer. But this vodka, it's 'The Chopin'" she tells me (everything is prefaced with a THE in my Babci's 'broken' English. That's how she keeps it Polish. For instance, our current president is THE Obama, and that's a WHOLE 'nother story...)

"The Chopin? That's a vodka? I thought it was a composer" I ask
"Right. Like the music you play. Well, I want a shot of Chopin for my recovery when I get home. A hot bowl of soup and a shot".

Well, there you have it. Recipe for healing from Grandma: A Hot Bowl of Soup and a Shot. Most grandmothers do recommend soup, my grandmother just adds alcohol.