Grandma Hile

My grandma died last Friday. She had been ill for about 2 ½ years, and by all accounts was ready to go. She died in her sleep, peacefully, and all of my family had seen her during the course of the week (I saw her in mid-January).

I'll be coming home for a week on Wednesday the 22nd...the funeral is on Sunday the 26th in Mamaroneck. If anyone wants the details, email me.

I haven't been blogging because I haven't really wanted to write about it and I didn't want to write about anything else.

My mom's parents were fantastic- Grandpa (who died when I was 11) was SO much fun to play with, and my brother and cousin and I spent hours at the pool and in the back yard with him. My favorite childhood memory of Grandma (who I was lucky to have in my life for much longer) was sitting at the piano, learning the bottom part to "Chopsticks" with her. She also made the most FANTASTIC omelettes. I have no idea how she did it- she'd stand in the kitchen, in her bathrobe and slippers, with her omelette pan and a spatula, and turn out perfectly runny, cheesy omelettes every time. I have tried and tried and can't reproduce them. It must have had something to do with being a grandmother.

My mom was born in Paris, France (my grandparents moved there right after the war), and so when I was living there in 2001, Mom and Grandma came to visit me. My host parents took us out to Garches, just southwest of the city, and we all found the house where my mom was born. There was a guy raking leaves in the driveway, so Daniel went up to him and told him that he was with some Americans who had lived in the house 50 years ago. He invited us in and we all walked through the house, with my Grandma telling stories about what it was like to live there.

I'm really going to miss her, but I'm glad that she's at peace.