Mama Kat Thursday: Fancy

The Mama Kat blog writing prompt I selected today is to,

 "Write a Post Inspired by the Word: Fancy "

Grandpa & Grandma Eaton

I'm reminded of the time my Dad's Mother came to stay with us. Grandma Eaton.
(Since we had two Grandma's, they had last name designations to know who was who.)

It was in the mid-to-late 60's. at a time when my sisters and I were all in grade school at the same time and riding the same bus.
Out Mother had to go into the hospital for surgery followed by recovery. Perhaps for a week. I can't recall exactly, but it was long enough Grandma needed to fly down to help out.

Initially, arrangements were made for us to ride the bus after school to a friend's house several miles down the road and Dad picked us up when he came home from work sometime between 6 and 7 pm.

(He commuted from Indianapolis, some 44 miles.)

I do recall doing this at least one or two days and I also recall Dad fixing us dinner at least once. He made gravy for something. I remember he added Worcestershire Sauce and made the best tasting gravy!
Dad was rarely in the kitchen, so he was sort of a wing-it cook  and the making dinner was both chaotic and fun.

Grandpa & Grandma circa 1918

Then Grandma came. She flew down from Minneapolis. We may have gone to the airport to pick her up or perhaps just Dad picked her up---I'm blank on exactly how she got to the house.

She was in her late 70's then. She had really long silver hair she wore twisted into a roll at the back of her head. 

(Here's a photo of her newlywed in 1918---I think she always had long hair, though I never saw it down.)

I'd describe Grandma Eaton as being a woman of "authoritative" character. She had a stern manner and didn't put up with any tom-foolery whatsoever.
I recall her warning my youngest sister, Patty, who had her nose in the freezer at the time, that she'd, "smack her on the biscuit, if she didn't get out of there."

As I recall, I don't think she moved swiftly enough to escape a swat on the 'biscuit'.

Of course, Grandma took over cooking dinner every night.  The reason "fancy" comes to mind, when I recall her visit, is because baked a cake every night for dessert.
It thought it was the fanciest thing ever, getting a fresh Jiffy cake every night made in a round cake tin and frosted. It was a novelty and that's what made Grandma's stay memorable.

I don't even know how she came to have all those Jiffy Cake Mixes. They weren't something we normally kept on hand.
(Mother's desserts were less frequent, but made more from scratch.)
I suppose Grandma gave Dad a grocery list; I don't think she drove.

I do know we ate pretty good.
(That's what I remember. I'm not certain what my sisters remember.)

Then, some days later, Mother came home and Grandma flew back to Minnesota, probably with a little cross-over time to help out while Mother finished recovering.
 It was the only time Grandma ever came to our house.
(Both Grandma's lived in Minnesota and usually we drove up to see them once a year.)

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So what does the word "fancy" inspire you to think of?