When You Were My Age--Grandma Hirschy and Mother

I've been discovering treasured nuggets in the family archives.

One letter dated 11-3-79 from Aunt Fae to all the Hirschy siblings, was written to update them about Grandma's condition, 91 years of age at the time. I read it with interest because now my mother is that age.
I wanted to compare their physical and mental state.

Grandma had fallen a couple times, her legs simply gave way while standing at the sink and later at the ironing board. This time she did not resist going to the doctor like she usually did. Uncle Phil took her the next day. Grandma said she'd never had such a thorough physical. The doctor could find nothing wrong other than the blood pressure and changed her medication to one that would not have the same side effects (depression, confusion). "With the keen mind she has we don't want anything in the medication to cause her problems." She loved it when he said she was the youngest 91 year-old he had ever seen. He thought she had temporarily 'blacked out', just for an instant and that caused her to fall.

I must add this note verbatim.

This part of the story is really funny--Phil could hear this from the outer room where he was waiting--the nurse and Dr. were with Grandma. She had to undress, and Phil heard her tell the Dr. that she wasn't wearing a bra. he said, "Well, that's all right, Esther, a lot of the younger girls are going without them these days."

When I read this to my brother Lynn he said he could see and hear her in his mind, remembering her self-deprecating little laugh.

After these sweet discoveries I went on a search to remember what my mother was doing at my age.

For another day...