Granny's Diamonds

My Granny had the most beautiful, amazing collection of diamonds I have ever set eyes on. Perfect clarity. Perfect sparkle. Perfect color. They were priceless. There were too many to count. I miss them every day.
Granny's diamonds were the reflection of the sun on the Little River, where she and my Mom's dad, Grandad at the River, lived in Weeksville, NC. Every time we visited Granny and Grandad at the River, we admired her diamonds.
She said she didn't need expensive jewelry, cars or vacations. She had her diamonds on the river. Not a day goes by that I don't think about and miss my Granny, and her diamonds.
My Granny was wild. She was awesome. In high school, my friends and I would make the hour-long drive to visit her and my Grandaddy to fish, swim and relax. It says something about my grandparents that high school kids wanted to hang out with them.
Granny's house always smelled like food. A lot of food. A lot of rich, fattening food. It's a wonder why I wasn't the poster child for childhood obesity. Every time we visited it was an almost unimaginable amount of food. Prime rib. Peach pie. Macaroni and cheese. Pecan pie. Gelatin mold salad. Candied yams. Greens. Lobster. I could go on and on. She made everything from scratch. Right down to the buttery-crisp waffles for breakfast. My grandfather had an amazing garden, and much of the vegetables came from right out the back door.
I still remember the smell of her skin, slick and soft after she smothered it in cream before bed. I love that smell. It brings a smile to my face and lump to my throat.
Granny could sew anything. Her style was always ahead-of-her-time. She didn't know it, but she's definitely my fashion icon. She had jet black hair, pink cheeks, an infectious smile and fuscia lipstick. She insisted on driving a red Volvo too fast. And high heels. Always high heels or shiny leather boots. And hats! Not just at Easter, but any day.
She loved the Golden Girls. And when my family spent the night. She found pleasure in just living her life day to day. In watching her diamonds, planting her flowers and cooking her meals. She dressed up to "go to town" for flowers and turned heads everywhere she walked.
Her yard bursted at the seems with color. Flowers so healthy and so fragrant it made me dizzy. I don't quite have her green thumb, but I definitely have her love of flowers. And I actually have many of her irises and ginger lilies in my yard.
My Granny sang and danced while she cooked. She dove off of the dock in her seventies. She could water ski and jet ski. She fished, and she painted.
I have dozens of her paintings, several framed and hanging on my walls. I love them. They're amazing. Giant flowers with color bursting in thick oils.
I hope I'm feisty like my Granny. She wasn't afraid to be different and stand up for herself. She lived her life the way she saw fit, and didn't give people's opinions a second thought. She emanated self confidence, and with good reason. She was absolutely stunning.
It's difficult for me to describe just what made my Granny so special. I can't put my finger on it. There was just something about her. She was wild, smart, innovative and artistic.
Without a doubt, she was my most influential grandparent, and I miss her daily. My best dreams revolve around Granny. I love dreams where I'm at her house. I wake up with a smile on my face and the smell of her face cream in my nose.
My Granny passed away while I was in grad school. When my mom moved the hospital bed into the house, she made sure to face Granny where she could see her diamonds in her last days. In the end, that's all she wanted. To see her beautiful, perfectly gleaming diamonds on the river.