Just Talked to My Nana

Nana with Mom and Nan with Ethan

I just talked to my Nana. She is OK, but it is sad to me. She was soo full of life. Wind, p--- and excitement as my grandfather used to say. Now she just sits in her room at that nursing home and watches TV because "there is nothing to do here" as she says. When she was here at Life Care she was everywhere. She would walk that wheel chair all over the place even sit out on the porch. Now she just sits in her room. She was happy there; but now she sits because her selfish daughter(mom's sister) had to have her back in Pittsburgh. Just because she wanted her there, not because my grandmother wanted to go.

OK I refuse to let this blog have any more bitterness when it comes to that side of the family so I will focus this on my grandmother. Let me tell you who she is and was.

Rose Marie Tomaro born December 15, 1913 as her family made their way to America from Italy. Her older brother had to stay in Italy because the family did not have enough money for him to travel with them. He came to America later. She is the second youngest of 5 children. She had beautiful long hair growing up( she has her pony tail from when it was cut off when she was a child. She wants to have it buried with her). She met and married my grandfather as a young lady. Her parents did not like him. My great grandmother called him "Irish scum." She loved him and married him. The marriage was not the greatest. My grandfather was an abusive alcoholic until the last ten years of his life. They were married forty some years. He had 10 good years of being a good and sober man the he died January 5, 1980. She worked all of her life. She worked on her parents farm in Pittsburgh as a child. She worked in a laundry for many years until she had to retire to take care of my grandfather. After he died she became a Foster Grandparent at The Children's Rehab in Pittsburgh where she worked well into her 80's. She quit after she had surgery on her legs and could not walk for a long time without a walker. But even this did not hold her down. She is and was a stubborn woman. When my mom moved in to take care of her she often fought with my mom about whatever she felt strongly about.

I remember as a kid spending time at her house and getting love and lots and lots of food! We were there every Sunday for dinner and often spent the night on weekends. When I had kids she was there for me when my mom was living out of state. She even came to stay with me when my twins were born and rearranged the house how she thought it should be. LOL She would drive me to the doctors and where ever I had to go because I did not drive at the time. I got my license because her driving scared me! Then I would pick her up and take her with me. My kids grew up with her she would babysit for me and just spend time with me and my kids. When I asked her if she would baby sit I always got the same answer. "If I am not dead by then I'll watch them." She always talked to everybody around her. When the kids were small and we went to the doctors before we left she knew why each child in the office was there. As my kids grew even their friends would come and spend time with her. A few of their friends thought she was mean because she would not hear it that you did not want to eat. I remember she smacked on of my son's hands because he did not want a sandwich. LOL, that's a funny memory. Then she offered to get some grass from her yard for one of his friends who told her he was a vegetarian. LOL She was always there for me and I never let the world get in the way of talking to and seeing her. When we moved to SC I called the house every week and talked to her till she moved here. I pray she has many more years but the last thing I want is for this wonderful woman to suffer in any way. She endured her suffering with my grandfather and should now only have love and happiness. As long as she is alive I will NEVER loose contact with her.