I can't help but think every old person in the world is beautiful. Maybe... I have even joked about hanging one on my wall as decoration just because I love to look at them. Their lil wrinkly faces and missing teeth. Once I accidentily asked an older man if he had ever thought about getting braces, but that was before realizing that his dentures were sitting right next to him. The grumpier, the better! Poor lil grumpy faces just need some lovin.
Yesterday, I met with Ida. Cutest, shortest, most short of breath lil 88 yr old ever. If she had known I was coming, she would have put a beer in the fridge for me, did I want a hot one? She could send her son to the store? No, no, I need to cut back, really! I don't need no hot beer in the middle of the afternoon, I've got plenty o booze waiting for me at home. I get down to business, I am curious Ida, what did older people do when they were young? Did you drink whiskey? I ask. "oh girl, we partied! We drank and we danced"! Used to be a scotch drinker. My husband would buy it by the gallons. My little Ida?! The gallons?! I say. Yes, I did hear her correctly. Kept her gallon of Scotch in the freezer. I say, you should see my freezer! I go into a rant about how I cannot fit any food in there because there are too many bottles of alcohol. I open up my damn freezer and lean cuisines start falling out, I need a separate booze freezer. She says she hasn't drank Scotch in years (mental note, tempted to get her some, she would enjoy reliving the past right? Maybe I should just take her to the bar).
My mind goes back to when I took Gweeny to the bar. She was 91. She pushed her walker into that packed bar, had guys offering to buy her shots, of course she could not hear what they were saying, what a shame. When we left I explained to her what they were saying, and we worked out a plan that in the future, she would only take a shot if they bought me one too.
Why shouldn't the older generation continue to party. But miss Ida is happy sittin in her chair watching life go on outside her windows, it makes her happy. My previous visit I got the low down on all the neighbors. I gotta get her out of the house. Probably not this winter, I couldn't stand the idea of her slipping and falling on the ice, have a hard enough time holding myself up, ecspecially after a warm beer.
