When it came time to move into the city from our 6.25 acres in the country, we bought my grandparent’s house. My grandma had entered the hospital for some surgery. There were complications that prevented the surgery. While she was in the hospital my grandpa moved them into a retirement home. Yep, Grandma left her home for surgery and never returned.
When we moved into the house there were plenty of things that had been left by my grandparents. Some of the things we incorporated into our lives, some of the things we got rid of. One of the things that stayed was a large bulletin board on the wall in the kitchen. First, below it was a perfect spot for my old desk. I purchased the desk in high school with my own money and here 30 years or so later I still had and loved it.
There were several different prayers and a poem or two and a couple of pictures all pinned to the board. There had been a leak at some point and some of the pieces had obviously been wet and dried just where they were. All the pieces were aged and somewhat brittle. Let’s start with WARNING by Jenny Joseph. We’ll never know the significance of these pieces to my Grandma but just the fact that she kept them and put them up is enough for me. My grandma had beautiful handwriting and always used a fine point purple pen. Peace. Love. Knitting. Amy
WARNING
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me, And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we’ve got no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat And eat three pounds of sausage at a go Or only bread and pickle for a week And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry And pay the rent and not swear in the street And set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple.
My Patio 