Grandma Lupe's House

My Grandma Lupe with me (somewhere in that bundle)


I distinctly remember the few visits we had to Grandma Lupe’s house in Arizona. Once we went to see her when she didn’t know that we were coming. Dad and Mom stopped at a payphone right in Lake Havasu to call and tell them that we were on our way and in only 15 minutes there we were on her front doorstep. As a child I thought that was such a wonderful surprise for them. I think the neat thing is that they agreed. No matter that they weren’t prepared, we were there and that was enough. We could always go shopping later. And that’s how it seemed to be with Grandma, family was family and kids were kids. I felt a lot of freedom at her house. Maybe that’s also why her house is imprinted on my memory in a way most other houses could never be; hers was fully explored and taken advantage of. Every nook and cranny was available for play and enjoyment. I specifically remember the closet in Elaine’s room. That was the guest room since Elaine had long since married and had children of her own. That closet was a child’s dream. Not only did it have a real door but it also had a light inside. We spent what seemed to have been hours playing in the closet. No matter the shoes and boxes and bags we came across. They were easily pushed back further into the recesses of the closet out of our way. For now the closet was our secret hide-out. Our special place that for that moment, belonged only to us.
It was in this closet that Josh’s nose started to bleed one day. And it seemed for that whole day it never stopped. I was scared seeing all that bright red blood spiraling down the sink as he stood in the bathroom willing it to stop. Of course the first and most pressing question was always, "Did you pick it or did it just start on it’s own?" However embarrassing, the truth must be known and Mom always got to the bottom of that one. After a humble admission to the former we set in to try to get the bleeding to stop. Josh had already had several bloody noses recently and when it was clear that the bleeding would not be stopping any time soon other possible causes were brought up. He had been eating a lot of sugar lately, that would have to stop. And probably not getting enough sleep. Also the weather, as usual, was hot and dry and certainly counted for something! Meanwhile Joshua waited with his head over the sink hoping for the bleeding to stop so he could get back to playing in that wonderful closet!
I can still hear the knocking sound of the white shuttered saloon-style doors leading into one side of Grandma’s kitchen. They were right beside the fridge. That wonderful big refrigerator that was chock-full of foods we often didn’t eat at home. Not just one but 2 whole gallons of milk lined the inside of the door. As well as juice and lots of it.
The very favorite meal at Grandma’s was breakfast, when we had our choice of the many boxes of store-bought cereal in Grandma’s lower cupboard. The cupboard wasn’t tall enough to accommodate the boxes standing upright so they were all on their sides and we would slide each one out one by one while determining which kind we would partake of this day. I think that was my first experience with rice crispies and the discovery that they really did pop in milk and it wasn’t some advertising gimmick. It was my favorite because at Grandma’s we were also allowed a generous spoon-full of white sugar sprinkled over our cereal in the morning. We took full advantage of that perk!
Grandma’s table was a dark faux wood grain that was surrounded by avocado green plastic chairs. When we sat at the table sometimes Shoo-shoo would scramble under our feet tickling us with his mat of hair. He was like a dirty mop with legs and pointy sharp teeth. That dog was Grandpa Dutch’s baby and I can still remember how he smelled, a mixture of dog and love because he smelled like Grandma’s house.
For some reason the microwave really stands out in my memory. Probably because it was a novelty to us kids at that time. We had not had a microwave and I think we liked being able to push the buttons to heat up our food. It was fun to be able to watch Grandma and Mom cook in the kitchen from the safety of the dining room through the cut away counter top. The kitchen was small so when cooking was going on there was no way to be in there but I would watch through the opening. I still remember how the water smelled. It had to be treated rather heavily before entering the houses in Lake Havasu and it had a special smell, probably chlorine, but to me it smelled like Grandma’s house.
In Grandma's living room there was a dark coffee table with glass squares set into the wood. She kept a centerpiece of glass grape clusters on that table. I loved those glass grapes. They were big, almost like golf ball size and they made a lovely sound when moved. I bet we weren't supposed to play with them but I distinctly remember how they felt and the satisfying sound of them rubbing together when rearranged.
I also remember Grandma's electric organ. It had it's own perfect spot right next to the sliding glass door that kept out the sweltering heat. There was a special display shelf above the organ. Once when I was older, probably the last visit I had to Grandma's house, I was astonished to find little handmade salt dough ornaments. Painted figures of Mary, Baby Jesus and Joseph; all lovingly arranged and preserved. Of course I recognized these right away having made several of them myself many years before. (or so it seemed at the ripe old age of 15) It was so amazing to me that Grandma had kept them and displayed them all this time.

There was once when a very spectacular thing happened to us at Grandma's. I think I was about 8 or so. It must've been an extended stay because I remember tuning in to the cartoon channel everyday with Josh and Sarah at a certain time. It was long enough to find out about a special event where you could send in a drawing and they would choose one everyday to show on TV and you would get a prize. I remember sitting with Josh (and probably Sarah) and drawing, perfecting, surveying our work and drawing some more. I drew a picture of wonder woman in all her 'get up'. We sent in our drawings and watched breathlessly each day to see if they would appear on TV. One day, wonder of wonders, the goofy guy on the show announced a drawing done by Autumn Rivas!! He held up MY drawing, colored in with felt tip markers, in all of it's glory, and congratulated me on the prize I had won. A few weeks later after we had arrived back home a small box arrived from the address we had sent the drawings. We eagerly ripped open the packaging and low and behold it was filled to the brim with the biggest assortment of candy any of us had ever seen! Suddenly that small box took on bigger proportions as we stared in wonder at this treasure before us. The thing that strikes me now as I write this is how I looked at this as 'our' endeavor. I just happened to be the one who's picture was on the show but the candy belonged to all of us. What a glorious feeling!