Grandma Dearest

My son Lewie is a unique kid. About four years ago, he started referring to hubby and me as Father Dearest and Mother Dearest. My mom, who lives right next door to us, became Grandma Dearest. I'll admit I wasn't a fan of the names at first, but like all things, they grew on me. Now I refer to my mom as Grandma Dearest, too.

Lucky for me, Grandma Dearest will be entering her eighth decade in October, and she's pretty phenomenal (knock on wood). She works virtually from home for about 20-25 hours per week, cooks, and spends hours outside tending the yard. She remembers every holiday, birthday, anniversary, and graduation, and she makes it her mission to ensure that all her family, friends, and work friends know how much they are loved. I often wonder how she seems to have twice as much energy as I have on most days!

Last October, I announced I was laid off from work. I hoped to find a job after the holidays, but January came and went, just like February, March, April, and May. With each passing month, I felt like staying in bed sulking over my fate, but I do know, in all reality, I have it good. Both Father Dearest and Grandma Dearest have come to the rescue. It's because of them that we can still afford to pay our bills while having a little left over to do fun things. It's because of them that I'm still able to attend job interview after job interview with my head held high even when I've lost all confidence. (Getting enough rejection letters can do that to you.)

It is for the reasons above and more that I dedicate the month of May to Grandma Dearest. The fact of the matter is that my mom has been there for me for my 47 years of life, but in recent years, I've been too busy with my own "professional career" to notice. I took for granted all the nights she made dinner for Lewie, all the holidays she made dinner for us, and all the home repairs/projects she supervised while I could put in long hours at work. I took for granted how often she helped set up and clean up after family gatherings. And I certainly forgot how often she covered a house bill without asking us to pay our share. The list can go on and on and on...

This month, I wanted to make my mom feel special, and since I had more time than usual, I scheduled three events (while keeping to a budget, of course). On Mother's Day, we had our special dinner at the Hopkin's Inn (now a family tradition). However, two weeks prior, we attended a performance at the Goodspeed Opera House (a first for us), and a week ago, we took a bus trip to see the beautiful Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, Rhode Island. My mom fretted over the cost, the weather, and her health, but in all areas, faith and hope carried us through. (We hadn't been on a bus trip together since the start of the pandemic in 2020.)

Here are just a few photos of our recent adventure to the Blithewold Mansion (with a stop at the Imagine Gift Store in Warren, RI first.)  If you haven't been to either, they are worth the trip. The Imagine Gift Store is located in the historic Lyric Theater Building with three floors of unique gifts for everyone in the family--check out the welcome (dog) mat below. The first half of the store is an ice cream parlor and a penny candy store (with over 500 candies). For anyone nearing 50, like me, do you remember candy cigarettes, Pop Rocks, or wax lips? They have everything--even when they are no longer "politically correct." The second half of the store has cascading umbrellas with tons of quirky, heartfelt, and souvenir items. We LOVED it.

The Blithewold Mansion is a 33-acre summer estate on Narragansett Bay with 45 rooms. Like most of the mansions (summer estates) in Newport, R.I., this one, too, was built in the late 1800s by a coal baron. (Remember, they didn't have to pay taxes on their properties back in the day.) This estate, however, doesn't have the "grandiose" feel like the Newport mansions. Instead, it is a romantic, English-style, manor house surrounded by a rare collection of trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers. (For example, their eldest daughter Marjorie grew several Giant Sequoia trees on the property--similar to the type of behemoth Redwood trees only found on the West Coast. My mom, who has never been out West, was so enamored by the size of the trees!)

Our tour of the mansion included a tea lunch on their back patio, a tour of the house (including a collection of dresses worn by their two daughters), and a stroll through their gardens. Having gone the first weekend of May, we had already missed the splendor of their thousands of Daffodils on the property, but we were able to see some of their other early budding May flowers along with their unusual trees, shrubs, and "Moongate" rose garden. The day, honestly, was as lovely as it could possibly be... 

One of the Giant Sequoias on the property.

These special days with my mom were needed--not only to remind my mom that she's still young enough to travel but to remind me that better days are coming; I just need to trust in Divine timing. I feel blessed to have this amazing time with Grandma Dearest.