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Seventeenth Birthday, Funerals and Murder

Little wonder I'm so weird. It's genetic, totally out of my control.

In going through that box of old letters and miscellany from when I was a kid spending summers in the boondocks, I ran across a card sent for my seventeenth birthday from my great-grandmother with also an enclosed letter (the Gran B of my earlier post.)

The card was cool. The letter though is somewhat disturbing now that I look back on it, considering that it was intended as part of wishing me a happy birthday. I loved my Granny Bolian, born in 1894 and this was from 1979 so she was old already, but still.

The message written inside the card, very nice:

"Here's to my dear great grandson with lots of love and the very best of everything for many more birthdays! Have a nice day, from Granny Bolian".

Okay, moving on then to reading the birthday letter tucked inside:

"Hi to all! Hi Douglas! How are you? Hope you are fine. I'm no good as usual, and can't hardly write, just hope you can read this, ha!

"Granny has gone to Tobe Rumfelt's funeral. Well, I'll just tell a few of the happenings. Grandpa Inskeeps, James Burris, Ansel (?) has all passed away since the last of September, and Jerry (?) was murdered Tuesday. I don't know the details about it.

"I will close with lots of love to you all hope to have good news to write next time. Granny is in a hurry to go. Ans(wer) soon.

"From Granny Bolian to you all, have a happy birthday. Hope you can read this."

Happy Birthday to me! Yikes ... is all I can think to say about that.

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Comments

  1. ErikaOctober 17, 2008 at 5:10 PM

    Lol. I like how she writes about herself in third person. The deaths and murder sound like an every day mundane occurrence (ha).

    Was the Grandpa she spoke of your grandpa? Because that's sad news on your b-day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 17, 2008 at 7:28 PM

    Now that I think about it, my grand and great-grand family, did often talk in third-person when we were kids and I'm sure even though I was 17 Granny was that old to still do that. Not uncommon. And Grandpa Inskeeps I frankly don't know but probably should, certainly must have been a great or even great-great one somewhere down the line, never knew him. Just another one dropping like flies at the time, I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LuminaOctober 17, 2008 at 11:06 PM

    Wow..."Happy Birthday" lil Doug is right.

    "The good news is you are just one year away from 18! The bad, news is Jerry was murdered on Tuesday. Have a good one Hon!" :)

    It was actually sweet and cute, and so Grandma'ish. I love me some Grandmas and Grandpas. I had good ones. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. LouOctober 18, 2008 at 10:50 PM

    LOL! That reminds me of my mother in-law. She's known for talking about morbid things, when we are celebrating. When we went over to her house for dinner once, she said Rain, my niece has breast cancer, do you want a slice of pizza? We secretly call her Debbie downer.

    ReplyDelete
  5. LuminaOctober 20, 2008 at 4:47 PM

    Ha! Debbie Downer!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousOctober 21, 2008 at 6:00 AM

    Yeah, I remember when Tobe Rumfelt died. I remember when Larry Rumfelt (or was it Donald?) was shot in the face by his grandma. Hmmm. Ozarks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousOctober 21, 2008 at 10:05 PM

    Oh yeah, I think it was Larry shot ... showed up on the porch too late at night for a visit and (OMG I should remember her name, I know) shot and killed him. I remember as a kid driving a tractor with Larry, and also before he was killed just having gotten married and they had come to visit me and Granny one summer. Yikes indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousOctober 22, 2008 at 5:47 AM

    Bess. Trigger-happy.

    ReplyDelete

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