Zandra Kay Plough (Zannie) (the one I was named after Amanda Kay Anderson)
Born: June 11th, 1937
Weight: 8 lbs. 6 oz.
Where: Physicians & Surgeons Hospital, Glendale California
Physician: AW Album
My Nana (Mildred Plough) wrote in the baby book about Zandra " Everyone says you are the prettiest & sweetest baby they have ever seen in a long time. You are strong and mother is proud." Then she wrote "You are such a pretty baby. Blonde curly hair, big dark blue eyes. A very nice mouth and nose and smiles all the time, don't care for strangers...... You look like a big doll"
Who Grandma Zandra was to me.......
First so that I can get this out of the way and not have to bring it up again. Grandma Zandra was a smoker. Even though they were never able to tell if she had cancer or not because her x-rays (or whatever) showed that her insides were completely black we think she died from smoking!
I know Grandma and I had a hard time, sometimes, because I had Asthma as a kid and I got sick every time I would go to Grandma's house. I always left from a week visit feeling like I had a cold or the flu. It took me at least a week to recover. I know my mom has always said that she is afraid my dad will die from all of the second hand smoke he has inhaled in his life.
My Grandma started smoking at a very young age and then was never able to give it up.
I never knew Grandpa Richard (my dad's father). He passed away long before I was born.
But who I did know was "Pops" Dale E. Bowles. My Grandma married Pops just before I was born. He has always been known as Pops, but he is the only grandfather on either side of my family that I have ever had! I love my Pops. But back to grandma. Pops and Grandma met at BBB Trucking. My grandma a book keeper and pops a hauler.
But onto the better things about Grandma and my life with her.
I remember at a very young age that holidays were about family, but more so then that holidays were going to Grandma Zandra & Pops and having fun. Every holiday we would first go to my mom's side of the family, which was also a lot of fun but in a different way. At Grandma Zandra's there were only five grandkids and I was the only granddaughter. Even though i was the only girl it was great! Pops and I were always best friends because he would remind me every time that I was his favorite granddaughter and I would reply "I am your ONLY granddaughter" he would always reassure me that even though I was still the favorite.
Like I said there wasn't a holiday that we didn't go visit Grandma. And I absolutely loved that! I loved visiting Grandma and she was such a good cook that you knew to bring your hunger with you.
One of the best memories I have of Grandma Zandra's house in general is Christmas. Every Christmas Grandma's house was the last stop of Christmas day and it was like the whole red rider bb gun feeling from the Christmas Story. Usually we would have waited all day for the one last present that we asked for, knowing that most likely Grandma had that present for us! For example Sam might get a Playstation from Santa with no games.....what are you supposed to do with no games? Well then he would get those games from grandma and pops! I remember one year I got a Zapf creation dolls that grandma said she got it because it looked just like me! I loved that doll and still remember the night I got it from her.
The magic of Christmas came alive at Grandma's house. We would get there at around 5pm eat talk and get done to go home around 8pm. In between those three hours the sun would go down, the house would get dark, and Christmas lights would come alive in my Grandma's front room.
I think out of all of the day, Santa's presents weren't my favorite, it was Grandma and Pop's last present that made Christmas complete for me!
The Christmas pictures are of my Dad but it is the same house with the same charm that I spent my holidays in!
The next thing that I love about Grandma Zandra was every summer we got to spent at least a week at Grandma's house, and sometimes more then a week. I loved going there and setting my stuff up in Grandma's house and then exploring. I loved that Grandma's house was always full of treasures (even till the day she died)! When I was a girl I would go in her bathroom and go through the drawer, yes drawer, of lipstick and try them all on. Then you would go down the hall to the bookcase and look for new books. Most times you would get disappointed because the only thing that was new was those stupid magazines with animals on the cover (yeah I hated National Geographic as a kid). I remember we didn't have lots of channels at home as a kid, but at Grandma's you could watch Nickelodeon. I loved to watch Doug, Hey Dude, and legends of the hidden temple. Only things you could watch at Grandma's.
But the best thing about Grandma's week trip was the craft for me! Yes the craft. We would get to Grandma's and choose a craft to do that most likely would take us all week. Grandma Zandra was a very talented painter. She would paint on all of her shirts and I was so excited when i was finally old enough to paint my shirt! I did terrible, but it was so fun to experience that with her. Sitting at a table concentration so hard on something, just me and grandma. we also made many dream catchers which I would always hang in my room to catch all of those bad dreams!
On summer was more special then others. When my Mother had breast cancer and had to stay in the hospital for a few months Sam and I lived with Grandma and Pops while Dad worked. I will never forget that summer. My dad would come down and visit us often and sleep in the back room of grandma's by himself. Grandma would take me often to visit my mom in the hospital. I only got to spent the night with my mom once or twice at the hospital. I know I never told her, but I am so grateful for my Grandma and the love and strength that she gave to me and Sam that summer. I was 9 yrs old.
I have always been told I am like Grandma (maybe because I am the only girl) but I did want to be like her. My grandma was such a good cook I am telling you! I had two favorites. The first ....Grandma's Cream of Wheat. She would make it just perfect with on the stove top with a double boiler. Then she would add the milk, and the sugar. But that was not all. Grandma would make Sam and I one piece of toast each. She would butter it and then cut it up into tiny squares that went into the Cream of Wheat oh so well! It was breakfast Heaven.
The second favorite which is odd that it is a breakfast item as well....Fried bacon. My Grandma would put bacon in flour and then fry it! Oh my goodness I loved it! One morning while at home I decided to try to surprise everyone and make grandma's bacon when I was 10 or so. I put the bacon in flour and started frying and realized it just didn't smell right. My dad came into the kitchen to investigate because he said it smelt terrible too! So he tasted a cooked on and then asked what I put the bacon in. I told him "flour" and he told me to try again because I had put it in powder sugar! Oops... let's just say I am not the cook my grandma was!
Some of my favorites about Grandma Zandra. Her hair......For as long as I can remember she always did her hair the same was and it was always perfect. She was the only Grandma I knew with long hair!
The M&M jars.... every time we would go to Grandmas there were two jars....a plain M&M jar and a peanut M&M jar. We were aloud a small dixie cup (usually used for rinsing after brushing teeth) and that was it. But Dad always got to take a handful....Do you know how big my dad's hands are, so unfair!
I think the best thing about Grandma Zandra and Pops is that they were always there to support their grandkids! For games, graduations, birthdays, and holidays. My grandma never missed any! I have told Derek many times that this is how I want to be. I want my kids to know their grandparents and I want to know my grandkids!
Her is my story that has been hard to write hence I have put it off for two weeks! On Wednesday August 24th, 2011 I got a phone call from my mom. She said that Grandma wasn't doing well. But what is new. We have been saying for the past 5 years that it will be Grandma's last Christmas. But my mom said this time is different. The nurses said she might live a week or two. They weren't even sure she would make it through the night. I was then scared.... I knew I had to go to work that night but really wanted to go say good-bye with my whole family. As they were at the hospital everyone just felt like it was the end. I had Thurdsday off so since there were no more flights that night after I got off work at 10:30pm I thought if Grandma made it through the night I would get my butt on a plane and see her in the morning. It would cost $400.00 in total for my plane tickets there and back so at 7:30am I got up called my mom and she said yeah come out because she is still alive. So I rushed and cried, rushed and cried, and finally with Derek's help got to the airport about 30 minutes before departure. Derek and I ran to get me checked in and I told him to tell my mom that I was on the plane and have someone there to pick me up. Derek said ok and as we were standing there just before the security check at the Phoenix airport Derek got a call. He picked it up and froze. He told the person on the phone that she needed to tell me. I took the phone and my mom said Grandma had just died. I know I gasped but I didn't hear it I just started crying and crying. Do I get my money back, do I get on the plane, or do I just sit there. Good thing Derek was there because he told me to go. Go be with my family!He hugged me and gave me a kiss good-bye and I tell you I was a HOT MESS! I was crying hysterically and of course they decided to do an extra check on me so I am crying and someone is metal detecting me! Urrgg can't they tell I just need to get on my plane. I ran from my super security check to my gate. They were already boarding, so I had just made it!
Of course I left something at security check in a bin!!!! I had to run back to get.....my Dodger dog. A Dodger dog pillow pet! Yes officially I was a hot mess running, crying, and now carrying a pillow pet! Seriously the reason I like the airport is to people watch and I can even think of what I would have thought seeing me like that!
The plan was that when I got to California I would be picked up by a cousin so my dad, aunt, and pops didn't have to get me. But now that Grandma had passed my worst fear was laying ahead of me! Seeing my dad, right after his mom had died and just him and I. It went great though! We just kind of talked about other things and a little about grandma. Grandma had passed away with Pops there with her. Just her and pops and I love that.
Now that grandma was gone everyone had gotten to say good bye but me! I still had this desire to see her. I was the only one. I saw Grandma Rose after she had passed and it kind of gave me this peaceful feeling. I wanted that feeling with Grandma Zandra. Grandma Zandra didn't want a funeral. She just wanted to be cremated and ashes to be spread in Oregon where her mom and brothers are spread. I just had to see my grandma though and I am sure glad I did. For years grandma has had hazed eyes from going blind and always hooked up to her oxygen. I didn't like that and it was very hard for my to look at my grandma that way. But to see her laying there was so much better to me then seeing her suffering! I am so grateful I got the chance to see her body one last time. My mom came into the room with me and then as we came out I told my dad that it was good to see her like that with out all of the tubes and such. Then my Dad decided he wanted to see her. He and my mom went to look at her. If you know my dad he doesn't cry. I have seen him cry once like this before as he and my mom where hugging in their room after they found out mom had cancer. So seeing my dad cry is obviously hard for me because it doesn't happen very often!
I am so grateful to have been blessed with such an amazing woman as my grandmother! I will always miss my time at Grandma's house with her, but an so grateful that I will be able to see her again some day!
Zandra Kay Anderson-Bowles
6-11-1937 to 8-25-2011
(Pictures are of the family gathering at Eternal Valley in Santa Clarita, Ca to make grandma's arrangements. This is the place where Granda Rose and Grandpa Keith, and Grandpa Richard are all buried)
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