The Zany Grandma And Her Dogs

Hello everyone,

It’s that time again!

Another zany grandma story!!!

For those who don’t follow the zany grandma train here is a quick run down. My grandma is quite eccentric and some of the things she does make no sense. For example, refusing to get a new oven because she is emotionally attached to her old one even though it leaks gas and could explode.

In a previous post I wrote about the struggle of getting my grandma a new dog. In the post I mentioned that she had owned three West Highland Terriers before and the latest recently passed. I said there was another story in this, so here it is.

In the late 60’s my grandma bought her family their first dog. She bought the dog from a breeder and wanted to name the tiny terrier Hercules. However, her children talked her into naming the Westie, Yankee. Note: They were not New York Yankees fans.

The first dog died in the early 80’s. Soon after Yankee died my grandma decided to get another dog.

So, my grandmother contacted another breeder and bought another West Highland Terrier.

Now, this is where it gets weird. My family wanted to name the dog, but my grandmother insisted on naming the dog Yankee…

Let that sink in.

She said the reason was so she wouldn’t call the dog by the wrong name. However, my grandma has never been good with change (remember the oven??).

She replaced her deceased dog with the same breed of dog and gave it the same name.

Yes, both dogs were male and looked exactly alike.

Yankee 2 died in 1998 and immediately after the dog died my grandma contacted another breeder.

The breeder lived in New York and my entire family took a vacation to go and pick up her new dog. This 3rd dog, also a Westie, is the one I remember and grew up with.

My grandmother picked up her new dog and my uncle adopted the dog’s sibling. My grandmother took the dog home and named him…. Go on take a guess.

She named him Yankee! Bet you didn’t see that one coming.

Luckily, my uncle did not name his dog Yankee.

Yankee 3 lived until 2014. It took a few years for my grandmother to get a new dog.

I talked about the process of finding a new dog for my grandma in a previous post.

Long story short: I refused to let my grandma get a dog from a breeder. She insisted on many specifics for the dog. I found her a toy poodle that she is now completely in love with and spoils like crazy.

The new dog was not named Yankee, but I think this was only because the new dog was female.

She named her new dog Corrie.

~Desibee

Let’s Talk: The Cheating Zany Grandma

This past Labor Day my family was over for a cookout. The day was very nice and everyone was lively with chatter.

After dinner my family usually likes to play some games. Recently, we have trying out various card games. We started out with Rummy and made our way to Golf. My grandma won every single game, but one. We all jokingly accused her of cheating.

We played till everyone went home.

The next day, I was folding the blanket my grandma was using and I was surprised to see a couple of cards fall out.

The jokes of cheating were correct.

My precious grandmother who was winning all evening was cheating!

No, I have not asked her and I will not. However, I told my father (grandma’s son) and all he could do was laugh and yell “that cheater.”

Till next time

~Desibee

 

Let’s Talk: The Zany Grandma And The Oven

Hello everyone!

Shall we continue with another “zany grandma” tale?

My grandma has lived in the same house for over 50 years. Most of the appliances she owns are from when she bought the house. So, as the title of this post suggest, her oven is also over fifty years old.

A couple of years ago my family started to smell something strange when we would visit. We figured out it was the smell of gas and a little while later we deduced it was her oven.

Now, before I continue I think it is useful to keep in mind that since this oven is so old it is ignited with a match

It took months and months of warnings and us turning off her oven for her to finally listen to get the it checked out.

After a couple of months, at a family get together, the oven was still letting out gas. My grandma informed everyone that she had the oven checked and that nothing could be fixed (the parts are no longer in production) and the oven needed to be replaced.

Everyone in the family offered to pitch in to pay for a new oven. I also told her she could get another oven similar to the one she had. However, she was not interested in any of this. She said “the oven has been with me this long it will stay with me.” Yes, my grandma is emotionally attached to her oven; even if it could kill her.

My family has tried desperately to change her mind and buy her a new oven due to the risk of explosion. My stubborn grandma simply tells us, “I only run it when no one is here, but myself.” That does not stop the risk!

Many appliances in my grandma’s home are like this, but to her they are as precious as family. My entire family has run into problems with items in her home. Another product that she is deeply connected to is her Rotary Phone, but that is a story for another day.

~DesiBeeBlog

Let’s Talk: The Zany Grandma And Her New Dog

I previously stated that I had many zany grandmother stories to share. So here is one you may enjoy.

My grandmother is very particular when it comes to dogs. I didn’t know how selective she was until I had the esteemed honor of finding a new dog for her to adopt.

This started about two years after the passing of her longtime dog Yankee III (yeah another story there). She was wanting another dog, but was not making any decisive actions. She has only ever bought dogs from breeders and paid top dollar; no she does not put them in shows. I refused to let her do that so I offered help in searching for a dog for her. I searched all over local shelters to find her a dog.

This should not have taken long or have been difficult. It was.

The reason why it was so hard is that she is incredibly picky. She had a list of requirements for me to meet. This was the first list:

1. A male
2. A puppy or young dog
3. Small
4. Upright ears (An absolute must)
5. Short hair, but not too short
6. Not too loud
7. Must be okay with children
8. Cannot shed too much
9. Light coloration
10. Solid coloration
11. Open face (Yeah, what??)
12. Cairn Terrier preferred
13. House trained (from a puppy…)
14. Straight tail
15. No distinct smell
16. Okay with being left alone for a short while
17. No health conditions
18. Terrier group
19. No biting

Okay the list was long and made me angry. I can look at any dog and say you absolutely perfect. (We as humans don’t deserve dogs; they are too good for us)

After a few months of looking I told her I could not find a puppy Cairn Terrier that wasn’t from a breeder. She thought of just contacting a breeder, but I convinced her to be lenient with her list. She would now “allow” a non terrier and simply a young dog.

I searched for over a year to fit her specificities. Then she says she wants a female dog. Yeah now more searching.

I finally found her a perfect dog. I kept it as close to her list as possible. This dog came from a rescue called Marilyn’s Voice which focused on rescuing puppy mill dogs. The dog I found was a tiny, six pound, Toy Poodle and Yorkshire Terrier mix.  I wanted to find her a small dog that would remain easy to lift as the dog ages. (Her last dog, a West Highland Terrier, was too heavy for her to lift when the dog got too old to get up stairs to go outside).

She went to meet the dog and fell in love instantly. This dog had character and was so well behaved.

This dog ended up being about 5 years old and had some missing teeth. She also has chronic ear infections and is not used to people handing her food. Even with these quirks my grandmother fell in love with her (I knew she would).

About a year has passed since she got the dog and they are inseparable. The dog had many difficulties at first, but was attached to my grandma instantly. She ended up being partially house trained, afraid of stairs, and barks when my grandma was not in sight. My grandma considered sending her back to the shelter (which upset me because I tried to explain puppy mill dogs take a while to settle into their homes). After about a year the adorable little poodle is now better with stairs, pretty well trained, and content at home and with other family.

My grandma is now in love with the little fuzz ball and says she could not imagine her life without the dog. She babies the dog and spoils her beyond belief.

Well that is my grandma story for today. Let me know if you would like to hear more of these stories.

Until next time.

Desibee