@chai2,
My grandmother never drank, except for egg nog in the holidays. I lived with her for a few years after I got out of the army, and it was like living in a different era. When I started my new job, which was within walking distance, I noticed that she was sullen in the morning before I went to work. I finally asked her about it, and she said something like: "Oh, never mind, I'm sure you have a good time with your friends, going out to lunch, and throwing your money around." I knew her well enough by then to know that what irked her was that I was paying for lunch when I could as easily walk home. So, the next day, I called her to say that my lunch break would be in 30 minutes, and that I'd be home about five minutes after that. She was very happy--after all, she'd done that for her husband for more than 40 years. I got home and she had three poached eggs, perfectly done, home-fried potatoes and sausage links (it was a peace offering, she knew I would eat breakfast at any time of the day or night). It was nothing for me to accommodate her, and I truly loved her, she had raised me and I think loved me in spite of herself. That was completely different from the rest of my family, whom I have not seen now in almost 40 years.
What was amusing, and why i started this rambling story, was the first Thanksgiving weekend that I lived with her. My mother's twin sister was visiting, and my grandmother asked me rather archly if I were going to get anything to "celebrate with" on the weekend. Thinking to myself, "It's your funeral," and so went out and bought a bottle of John Jameson single malt pot still whiskey (which is very strong and which they no longer make). I then went with my friends to a house party. As I later learned, my grand mother, who made everything from scratch, made her typically smooth and rich eggnog, and put that rip-snorting pot still whiskey in it. When I got home, she and my aunt were sitting in the living room giggling like a couple of school girls, and they asked me if I didn't want to help them finish the eggnog. They must have drunk two mugs each, which was a considerable amount of alkeehol for two women who otherwise did not drink. They were cute, and a total hoot.
