Fictional & Real Women Who Made An Impact In My Life.

1. Nancy Drew – Nancy Drew is celebrating 80 yrs.  I read in the paper where girls still enjoy the books and that thrilled me. I would think they would not age well but I don’t recall specifics. I loved these books as much as I loved Nancy Drew. I loved having the hard cover book collection and it was my prized possession. But Nancy always seemed so together. I find it funny that even back then I remember the descriptions of her clothes. I was even shallow apparently at that very young age. I loved how her father was behind her. That was fiction in my life. “A girl can’t do that” was all I ever heard as a young girl from my Dad. He meant well but…..

2. Ann Marie or better known as That Girl.  My God how I loved that show. Her father was more like my Dad. But he let her go …sort of.  She had that great apartment, FABULOUS clothes, a cute boyfriend, and her neighbors were fun.
I wanted that life when I grew up. Big Time!  I didn’t want to be an actress but she sure did make it look appealing. I remember getting this yellow shift and I bought this big flower pin to wear in the middle of my chest on that shift. For you young en’s a Shift is a straight dress from the 60’s. The dress and the pin was just like the one Marlo Thomas had worn and I mean to tell you that dress was my go to dress.  It about fell apart to just mere threads before I would let it go. Now if only my mom would buy me those white go-go boots to go with it like the character Ann Marie had!

3. Mary Tyler Moore – Another happy single woman whose life I admired and wanted. Truth be told I was much more of the smart ass like Rhoda Morgenstern than I was ever Mary but that didn’t mean I didn’t want that apartment, her clothes, hair and that big M on my apartment wall. To me Mary had it all. She was everything I wasn’t, tall, small chested (which I so wanted to be since the age of 10) a clothes horse with a great job and friends. What’s not to want? Although if I could have rocked a head scarf like Rhoda that would have been too damn cool. I tried, a lot…it never worked for me though!

4. My Mom. I only had her for 13 yrs but like my sister and Dad will tell you I was her shadow. I would sit on her bed while she sat at her dressing table and watch her put on her makeup and fix her hair. I would try on her jewelry and try to tie a scarf around my neck the way she did. She taught me that a simple blouse, skirt and of course heels could be dressed up with just adding that scarf or just the right jewelry.  Oh how I love this pendant that she wore and her black onyx ring with a diamond. I would try them on all the time. I loved all the girly things about my Mom. That dressing table has so many memories for me. The makeup, the hair styling, the jewelry on the table. I remember at the age of 12 coming home and seeing her sitting there looking at herself in the mirror. She had on a pair of pedal pushers as she called them (capri’s to us) and no shirt. It was the only time I ever saw her cry or fall apart during her 3 yrs of dealing with cancer. She had by this time had both breasts removed and as she liked to say, been gutted like a fish with no female organs left. She was marked up with blue marker on her chest and it was burned red from radiation and cobalt treatments (before chemo) She was just staring at herself and I walked in after school and asked what she was doing and she flatly said, “look at me, I am no different than your father.”  And she began to sob. I did not understand that comment at the naïve age of 12 but I remember knowing that it was not good and I just went and hugged her. When she let go, it was like she snapped out of it , probably for my sake, and said, “C’mon help me blow up my boobs.”  Now in 1968 the mastectomy bras were pretty awful and rudimentary. She put on the bra and it had a little straw like the ones in a juice box. She inserted it and blew until it was the right size. We would laugh when the right side was bigger than the left and it was a queer thing we did together. I am glad she didn’t shield me from any of that. As odd as it may seem to you it is a great memory to me and as we do in my family it would end in a fit of giggles on her bed. She taught me strength, dignity and all the girly stuff that I adore.

5. My Grandmother D. – This woman was a horrible mean, cruel and scary woman.  Why would she influence me you ask? Because she was so mean to everyone. Because she was cruel to people who loved her and were good to her. Because she appeared to really really enjoy being hurtful on purpose.
Because of all of that I was determined to never be like her. I remember years after her death watching an episode of The Soprano’s and Tony Soprano's mom was on and she did and said something that gave me goose bumps. I looked at my husband and said, “oh my God that is Grandma D. EXACTLY.” His response was, “I think I’m glad I never met her”.
Shortly after that episode my Aunt called to see if I had seen that episode and did I think the same thing?   I saw the pain she inflicted on everyone. I remember how she made my mom, my aunts and uncles cry. I remember seeing her hit people for no reason including me.  I was eating my oatmeal  one morning and she walked by and just smacked me up side the head – hard. She hit me and said, “you look like your father”. I was 8 yrs old. I was at her house what could I do? So you see she influenced me in a good way.
How not to ever behave in my life – EVER.  I truly believe she was evil.

6. Grandma C – This wonderful woman was not even blood related but she became my new Grandma when my Dad remarried. She was warm, kind, lovable, huggable and just chubby enough to be Grandma. She immediatley accepted us as her new grandchildren and we ate it up. She taught me how to make kick ass meatballs. She taught me hospitality. She taught me thoughtfulness. She would do the nicest things for us all. And best of all she taught me the phrase, “Well Peggy it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, let’s have a drink” I loved this woman!
She was the Grandma everyone wants. And could this woman cook! She gave me a place to live after my divorce and I loved that year of my life with her. I told her I had to leave so I didn’t get fat. If you told her you weren't hungry she'd then say, "well just have a sandwich then." She honestly believed food was love to her core. To this day Rick and I will say that as a joke.  I remember watching a York peppermint patty commercial one evening while we were watching tv together and just saying in passing, “ooh those look good”  Next day I had peppermint patties in the fridge like I liked them. She was beautiful inside and out.  That is how I want to be when I’m an older gal.  Always with my lipstick on, perfectly coiffured and dressed, the light smell of cologne and of course with my Kleenex up my sleeve.

Who real or fictitious influenced you?