What? Well a mandate is like a political promise … Sort of … Something somebody has on a to-do list … Might never get done however … Hmmm many reasons … Time … Money … Influence …
By the way, you were wondering about the Seven Deadly Sins? Sorry George I have no Seven Deadly Sin jokes for you today. Ask me that tomorrow.
Just imagine a place where Granny is a queen
What’s that, George?
You wonder, do you? You wonder whether we have Grannies who are treated like Queens in New Brunswick?
Not exactly … You might say that Grannies have been the heroines … Errr that is the same as heroes … Don’t you know? …
Taking up the slack … Doing so much work … unpaid unsung and unknown … Hmmm … The Grannies might say … Somebody has got to do it otherwise it won’t get done …
What it is like … Living in New Brunswick … an NB lifer
What if all those good kind Grannies of New Brunswick were to go on strike? Who would raise the funds for all those organizations that bring hope to communities?
Would taxes go up because government had to hire more staff to take care of people in hospitals … Feed people in homeless shelters … Would there be more old folks falling out of windows in special care homes?
And who would cook the meals and nurture the grandkids while mum is off to work or school?
And who would play music in the homes and churches? Who would provide respite care for an invalid spouse or aging parent? Who would spend countless hours in a palliative ward?
Granny is not alone. Let the Granny gathering begin.
So … Where are the grannies who know something
… Who knows anything about investing in food for thought? How do you choose a lemon ?
… Who knows how to find good help raising money to produce a rock opera? Can we really trust someone named Zac?
… Who knows when and when not to trust
… Who knows about trust funds ?
… Who knows the meaning of a job well done, well paying and
just as well ?
… Who can do Granny-math
… And … Who can beg!
Speak up Grannies!
What do you want?
This?
This?This?This?This?This?
This?
Or This?
The Eureka Notion
A woman senior is especially vulnerable.
100% of 0 is 0. That appears to be how the world has balanced her worth.
...
...
...
...
...
...
$00000000.00
Yeah ... Though she walk through the Valley of Death ... All evil surrounding the Granny will just melt into the background.
hmmmm ... That how it goes George ... Well Ok so I might have changed the words somewhat.
It is that time of year again, George ... Cold ... Dark ...
The Granny will soon be house-bound. Cabin fever? Some might call it that. It is the whole dismal attitude of everyone else scurrying about their own business, getting all dressed up and going to Christmas parties and Granny spending most of her time alone.
Christmas gifts too are a problem for Granny ... She used to love making simple little gifts. These days everybody wants either expensive gifts or violent games or sleazy clothes or money.
Even something like grocery shopping becomes a challenge at this time of year.
Every time she goes out to shop she gets pushed and shoved to the back of the line by people who are aggressive ... Then when she finally gets to the cash she is usually ignored by the cashier who suddenly turns her back on the Granny to have a conversation with the clerk at another cash. If she were able to pick up a wee bit of gossip from all these conversations it might not be so bad but for some reason the clerks and cashiers always speak in a language that Granny neither speaks nor understands. Then the clerk, still without looking at her, still talking to someone else, passes Granny her change and turns to the next customer in line.
Is Granny invisible? Why do they not look at her ... Why do they not smile and treat her like someone special ... As they once did when she was young and ever so lovely? Why do they treat her like she is invisible?
That is what hurts the most. Being invisible ... Like somehow they are letting her know that she already has one foot in that Valley and it's good riddance old bag.
So Granny stops going out to shop and her family says it's because she is getting too old and cranky and no longer is interested in making an effort to live a normal life.
Granny muses on the word 'normal'. Is that one of those chameleon words, Granny wonders.
While everyone else is making plans to go South for the winter, Granny will be left home alone because after all who wants to take an old Granny on vacation. Maybe this year Granny should get together with another old Granny or two and they could take their own vacation.
but could Granny do it? What about the planning? The Money? Would this be safe? And really ... What is Granny to say when people start asking "Do you know the way to San Jose?"
Maybe ... But Hmmmmm why does that remind me of an old 60s song
Where how when ... first California ... Then Granny does her world tourThe Silk Road ... that is where Granny would go next. She would take a journey along the silk road.
...
To be continued ...
All who enter here …
rhymes
Who would expect a Granny to travel half-way around the world?
Why not? TOS rhymes with AUS.
And why is that significant?
A long story … Granny is looking for an agent for that one.
So what is a TOS? Some sort of agreement … Sort of like a disclaimer … Granny might prefer to say something along the lines of … “If you don’t like my stew and my tea and my cookies … Well then leave my table and keep out of my kitchen.”
Granny however is a polite little old dear. So what she does is send you to a page that pretty well says the same thing … Not so long-winded that you won’t have the time and energy to read and Granny doesn’t believe in having tripwires hidden all around her house … Just a short simple TOS.
Now the journey really begins as any good journey might.
With stories of mothers who were once daughters of mothers who were once daughters of … And on and on back through those cracks in time where the women were allowed just a bit of freedom to be what the world would otherwise never allow them to be.
Seldom ever told are the stories hidden within these cracks in time, not even to their daughters … Hardly ever to their mothers. But mothers and daughters both know these stories although they might never speak the words that tell the stories because such words would only cause pain.
Stories from the spaces between are called Interstitial, so I’ve been told.
Well … Why not?
Isn’t Seniority what rules the world? That’s what the Union folks
So they say …
In Granny World
Granny rules with love.
Granny wants Democracy Is Granny going Off her Rocker? Granny better be careful. If she gets too nosy or noisy or demanding or assertive or political … The werkers might haul her away to the Seniors’ Special Care Lock-up. Will someone please warn Granny. SHE MUST LEARN TO BEHAVE HERSELF.
Granny Knits with love.
Granny tells Tales
Granny tells more Tales
Granny in the Kitchen
Granny Blogs
So … Has Granny learned her lesson? Is she being a well behaved little Granny and sitting quietly in her rocker crocheting Granny Squares to make a nice warm comforter to give away free to some good cause. Well, isn’t that how the world expects a respectable Granny to behave?
Oh dear, oh dear, there she goes again.
Granny visits Portland
Granny in Chernobyl
Granny joins Peace Brigade
Granny visits Grannies in Peru
Granny asks for Global Action
Granny wonders about Granny Pensions
Granny gets cold feet … Needs a New Quilt
Granny seeks Justice
Granny learns to Make it
Alas if Granny just can’t make it on her own. What happens then?
What will Granny do? Will Granny take up bad habits? Will Granny’s friends and family desert her? Will granny turn to a life of crime? Will Granny find a new hobby to keep her out of mischief?
Granny … the Pirate Granny
Granny sniffs … The cargo Holy Smoke
Granny goes to Prison
Granny finds new friends.
See you May 2015 in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada
Meanwhile
What!
Grannies making … Errrrr … Grannies think they can learn to make music.
First justice.
Where is the manual?
If that doesn’t work?
What do we do?
Call out the Canadian National Guard?
We have a Canadian National Guard?
Well … Maybe not … But we have Grannies … Lots of Grannies … And more in training … All across North America. began in Canada … did you know?
One of these years we Grannies will be in the majority … Then just watch us! Hmmm … Who said that
What happened to the Canadian Guards? Does anyone know?
Does anyone Remember?
What if the Grannies adopted their badge and wore them for Canada?
Is there a song?
Hmmmm … Guess this Grannie will just have to write a song and call it Ad Mare Usque ad Mari. Errrr … How about Ad Mari first … Followed by Ad Mare … Does it make a difference? Does anyone ever listen to the words anyway?
No more than they ever listened to the Grannies … One might suppose there would have been some respect for the grannies who taught them … Or tried to teach them the value of a peaceful world. So where are all the grannies that were attached to the Canadian Guards
H… That song … Can’t forget the song … We really need a song.
To rally the grannies? That too. Most of all we need to show respect for the Grannies who stepped back and let others go ahead of them … who raised the children … Who built up the libraries and raised money for schools and churches … who worked for all those non-profit organizations … who dedicated their lives as volunteers … Making Canada a better place.
… Now those grannies need help. Who is helping the Grannies?
Ok let’s try to write the Ultimate Granny Song
Before every guard
There is a Granny
Singing loud and free
A mari usque ad mare
Beside every guard
There is a granny
Singing singing
Help us to …
Behind every guard
There is a Granny
Singing out singing out
A Mari usque ad mare
Though the Grannies were never honoured
Though no plaques
With their names appear
Be assured they did their share
To keep our country free
Yes George. It is time.
The GU Conference of course. Perhaps the name could use some tweaking … From UG to HUG … Honourable Union of Grannies. After all, what is a Granny if not huggable?
We are now thinking about the book. If the Forward is to be written by a Granny … Who should write it?
One of the world’s many … could do it.
Oops … Sorry … Granny volunteers are no longer available.
They are looking for an instruction manual
But … Why are they on their knees?
Oh well … No doubt they have a good reason.
Soon be time to get up off those knees, Grannies.
Let the Great Gathering of Grannies begin.
Where? Canada … Where else? And why? Because Canada is about understanding. Since Grannies have great need to be understood in these trying times, then Canada is the obvious location for the Grannies to gather. Respect too is something Canada can offer.
Pension security? George says he is giving it some sober second thought.
Justice? Grannies hope so … Needing work … A real fixer-upper
Click to access human_rights.pdf
Canada will do as Canada does … In culture, education, politics, health, on and on … Invite American Experts … In this case, perhaps a good choice might be the California Grannies
Canada will not fail the Grannies. Besides, Where else can you get a good cup of tea these last many years? “Only in Canada”, as some might say.
So George is reaching out across the globe to gather in the grannies. The Granny sites is where George begins his quest.
Here is a Farming Granny in Maine
Granny-Bot… well not really a granny site except for the quote:”as Albert Einstein says: “You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.”” … So … What do you not understand about grannies? Maybe try and think of Grannies as belonging to a sub-culture or a threatened species. Offer understanding and respect not platitudes. Some Grannies might be deaf but that doesn’t mean they are dumb.
As a matter of fact or fiction, according to George the Magpie, the discovery of the Granny-Chip is just around the corner.
Canada Grannies – Lost in transit … Now that cannot be true … can it? Where are all the Canadian Senior sites? Grannie sites seem to thrive in some other countries…. Why not in Canada? Suppose it is the brand of tea we drink? That hardly seems likely … does it?
And what about Art Support? Does Canada’s Arts Community support Granny Artists? So … where are the practicing Granny Artists? Are they busy doing other things? Making invisible art? Volunteer work? Cutting red tape?
I found one nice Canadian site…
Canada Gold … CARP … Not sure what the letters C.A.R.P. stand for …believe it is an organization for people 50+ in age.
The site talks about issues such as … Pension reform … Retirement security … Job Opportunities … Stable employment … Investor protection … CARP AGM tomorrow October 24th.
Grannies in … Africa A Canadian site in support of African Grandmothers.
And … anyone wishing to help Canadian Grannies produce the film,
Raging Grannies a donation would surely be appreciated.
Alabama A granny who plays the piano, loves gardening and blogs so nicely.
Traveling grannies with a gypsy heart and soul. A travel guide for Grannies who dare to trek the globe alone.
South Africa Just imagine a world conference of Grannies at this delightful- sounding retreat.
San Francisco A Granny is never too old to learn something new … and here is a blog that is wonderfully colourful as well as interesting and educational.
There was a
Granny photographer from 1930s Germany who worked into her nineties. The quarter of a million pieces of the collected work of Leni Sonnenfeld and her husband Hebert were donated to Beit Hatfutsot, the world Jewish cultural museum located in Israel.
An Amity Conference sounds like something many a Granny could appreciate if she were invited to attend.
China
New York
India
India
Norwood, MA
Somewhere, last April
Massachusetts, November 1
Who in the world is Granny Smith?
Whether they are knitting or crocheting, Grannies who create and piece together all those squares and hexagons are making our world a cozier place for all.
The Granny Hex
The Granny Square.
More Granny Squares
more Squares than Grannies
The Granny Spirit An Ojibway woman from Northern Ontario tells the story of her Granny through film.
Techno Granny A creative journalist Granny who works in new and social media.
India Granny Students in India show respect for their Grannies.
Western States Granny Grannies in America go in search of their ancestral heritage.
West Virginia Granny a Granny blogs about a great writers conference that draws in artists and musicians as well as other Granny writers.
Granny with with with …Hmmm … Something
One might almost think of a Granny Convention as a whole new category. It might be nice to invite people who are not quite there yet but will be one of these fine years. Let’s think of them as Grannies in training. The more they learn about what to expect when they age, the better prepared they will be. Considering that you might spend half a century of life being a Granny, is it really ever too soon to start the training, especially if you are thinking about downsizing, and moving into one of those cozy little Granny Homes?
There might be many unknown Global Granny groups already formed.
It might be interesting to compare the pensions of Canadian and American Grannies. Not all Canadian Grannies are Snowbirds and not all of them might have as nice a home to live in as does the First Granny
It seems that the Grannies in Canada receive a higher pension than Grannies in Russia.
There have been many Heroine Grannies who left their home countries in search of a better life. Imagine a Grannie Convention with these Grannies sharing their stories. There must be more than one poor Russian woman who became a successful American business tycoon like the woman who might have said something like, “I dreamed that I went to a Granny Convention in my Maidenform bra”.
Library Granny There must have been Grannies Galore at the ISASA Conference held in South Africa during April 2013. Wonder whether you would say a flock or a gaggle … Guess we’d need to ask a librarian.
Peace Granny Grannies across America are knitting stump socks for amputees. Get your sock pattern here.
Voice Granny June Foray has had a long and unique career projecting the voice of some of our long-tme favourite cartoon characters. Her book is now available on Amazon.
Could there be a just causelooking for a Granny filled with Hot P and Vinegar?
What on earth! … Who let her in here?
maggiequinn 
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