Breakfast with Grammy & Visiting Aunt Edith

Yesterday, Kate and I joined Grammy for breakfast at IHOP. Grammy and I enjoyed some pancakes (what else?), and Kate enjoyed ripping apart a napkin and sharing the pieces. LOL! No worries--we straightened up the mess before we left.

We headed over to the nearby Kmart to pick up some flowers for Aunt Edith. I don't get to Kmart very often anymore. It seems like they are kind of scarce these days. I remember when Kmart was the only discount department store in town (and by "town," I mean "Johnson City"). Then came Hills (which is no more) and THEN came Wal-Mart. Target wasn't added until several years after that. When we were little and my grandmother used to keep us a few days a week, we would go with her to Kmart on Fridays. Friday was her day to "go to town." She would treat us to lunch in the Kmart eatery, which was a big deal back in the day. This was at the old Kmart--which is where Books-A-Million is now (in the Target shopping center). There used to be a Giant grocery store next to Kmart and also a Revco (CVS), if I remember correctly. And maybe a few other stores. It's getting a bit fuzzy now.

I worked at Kmart (the old one) during the holidays when I was a junior in high school. I was a cashier--it was my first job at a store. We got paid on Fridays, I believe, and we got paid in CASH! We wore Santa hats, too. The "new" Kmart is nowhere near new anymore, and it's in a different area of town. It was weird to see SO MUCH Christmas stuff already out. But I did think this "sweets" Christmas tree was very cute!

Tanna, Kate & I with Aunt Edith last year at my sister's house

After our Kmart visit, we went to see Aunt Edith, who is in a nursing home now. Aunt Edith is actually my great aunt--my grandmother's sister (the same grandmother who would take us to Kmart when we were little). Aunt Edith never married, but she has had a full life. Up until the last few years, she continued to be very active in her church and various clubs. She is a retired university librarian and has traveled the world. When we were growing up, she would send us postcards from exotic locations. I loved that she would send my sisters and brother and I our own postcards. I loved getting mail, so this was very special to me.

The nursing home where Aunt Edith is now is actually the old hospital--and where I was born 34 years ago! My brother was born there a year later. It was great to see Aunt Edith and to visit for a little bit. She is the last of my grandmother's siblings who is still living. We miss the old days and getting together, especially at Christmas. Aunt Edith has always been a special part of our lives, and I am glad we got to see her on this trip. We hope to see her again over the holidays.