Crazy Nana

I don’t know how crazy Nana was in her younger years but one special and recent time of craziness I feel at least partially responsible for. One year, I went for a visit by myself. It was after Popi died and I think I went down there before meeting up with Mom and Dad in the Keys. Anyway, I got down there in the midst of a very rainy season (that would make sense – September is hurricane season.) The ground was saturated and we got a torrential downpour on the day I arrived. We shut ourselves in and waited until it was over (if you know Florida rain not very long – just very, very hard.) I think Aunt Mildred called and said that things were really flooded two streets over. So we peeked our heads out the door of 522C Crooked Lake Lane. The water was halfway up the stop sign post at the end of the street!! Nowhere for the water to run!!

It was long enough ago that I cannot recall exactly how I talked her into this but I wanted to go over and see how bad it was at Aunt Mildred and Uncle Ham’s. And without a canoe, the only way that was going to happen was to take off the shoes, roll up the pantlegs and start a-walking! And you know, if she didn’t want to do it – there would have been no way of talking her into it. So she and I held hands and waded our way across two streets of water up to our knees or more in some places to go exploring together. I think we both laughed at ourselves wondering what ever possessed us to want to put our feet in that water without knowing what was in it. And she did make mention of a woman her age acting so crazy:). The pictures are so clear of her with her pants rolled up and a light jacket on that I almost believe that I have a picture somewhere….. Now I’ll have to go digging and check.

Anyway – that might be my very favorite memory of Nana. I felt like maybe there was something about her that I never knew before. I learned we were more alike than I had once thought. And maybe that was the beginning of the friendship we’ve shared in the years since then.

That’s why I love the funny things she says now. Reminds me of wading in the flood waters with her. :)