Growing up I didn’t see my Grandma Hutchinson very often. She made her home in Oregon with my uncles Don and Lee. Grandma was a character and had a good sense of humor despite not having an easy life.

Grandma wore a hearing aid that hooked to the front of her brassiere. When she talked on the phone, she would flip the corded phone upside down so the earpiece pointed at her chest while she talked into the mouthpiece. When I was a child it was confusing watching Grandma hear without using her ears. I thought she had magic hooters.

During family get-togethers, Grandma would pretend to turn her hearing device down because of all the commotion. Later she would repeat almost verbatim what was said. Sometimes she heard more than we did. Recently, I thought of Grandma when I saw a T-shirt in an ad — “I have selective hearing.” “I am sorry, you have not been selected.”

Larry worked a swing shift when we got married. We would show up at my parents’ house at all times of the day to visit. When Grandma was home for the wedding, she could not get the concept Larry worked three rotating shifts. From Grandma’s limited perspective, it did seem like Larry had a lot of free time for a working man.

I’m not sure if Grandma ever shared her thoughts with anyone, but her face wore the pitying expression, “My sweet angelic Rita married a lazy good-for-nothing bum.” Like my grandmother, my face doesn’t hide much. That is why I never bothered to learn the game of poker.

By happenstance, I found a chain purse that describes me perfectly in one sentence. Larry and I were coming home from vacation and stopped at a Flying J. Standing in line to pay for gas, I spotted a leopard print change purse with the words, “If my mouth doesn’t say it, my face definitely will.” That is especially evident when I do not want my picture taken. Which is never.

Grandma had a trigger finger (stenosing flexor tenosynovitis) that locked into a straight position. It was the finger most used to express anger at someone. At our wedding reception the cameraman captured Grandma sticking her stiff middle finger into her mouth at the exact moment she was asking if it was time to eat. It looks like an obscene invitation or she is trying to make herself barf. Grandma’s quirkiness was captured in a moment I will always remember.

My mom is thrifty. I am thrifty. My grandma was the queen of thrift. Living through tough times makes a person feel they must be prepared for anything. I save for a rainy day, and I have adopted the mindset that a penny saved is a penny earned — up to a point.

Grandma would serve lunch on thin paper plates. One plate had to last an entire week — guests included. Grandma would print names on the bottom of the plates to keep track of who they belonged to. It paid to be a neat eater. She also encouraged others not to overindulge by hiding sweets around the house so no one would eat them too quickly. That didn’t always pan out. By the time all her hiding spots were searched some goodies were no longer edible.

There is no sense hiding sweet stuff around our house. Larry sniffs them out with uncanny accuracy and why the grandkids have dubbed their grandfather The Cookie Monster. Because Larry is so sneaky, I have been forced to have a few hiding spots of my own. I just hope I remember where they all are before they turn into unintentional science experiments.

— Rita Wyatt Zorn is a wife, mother, grandmother and lifetime Monroe County resident. She can be reached at 7.noniez@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Rita’s Reflections: Grandma was a character