Sleepless Nights

Yesterday I was reminiscing about visiting Aunt Myrtle, grandma's sister.  She had a sofa that now we would call a photon bed I think.  By day a sofa, and at night mom and dad slept on it by pulling the bottom up so the back of the couch would unlatch and turned into a double bed.  It was comfortable if you were short, but poor dad, I don't think he slept well.  The arms of the sofa didn't move, so it was hard to stretch out his legs.  If you were able to stretch them out, the sofa set about 6 or 7 inches from the wall.  Grandma slept down the narrow hall that lead to the back room.  To the left, in the wall of the hall, was a built in single bed, just across from the tiny bathroom.  If there was any activity in the bathroom throughout the night, grandma couldn't sleep either.  I'm not sure if it was the light in the bathroom that blinded her or woke her up when someone went in or out, or the noise of the toilet flushing and sound of the water running to wash our hands, or the noise of coming into the kitchen from the squeaky push door.  Diane and I slept on the floor as I told you, with me closest to the gigantic man eating leaves that loomed over me waiting for me to close my eyes to have a snack.  We had to sleep so close to the plants because in the middle of A. Myrt's living room floor was a big grate in the floor from the furnace.  It had to have been at least 3 feet by 2and a half feet, with wide grates that hurt your feet just walking over it. So I always walked around it for fear of falling into the basement.  Since the living room was small, because of the excessive accumulation of plants, sleeping on the floor so close to this register was not comfortable because  the heat  poured out of it.  Aunt Myrt liked it warm, real warm!  We did not need extra blankets, but I used one so the plant ate it before me, strategy!!  The dining room was next to the sofa and it had plants, stands with plants, a table with 6 chairs and on 3 walls there must have been over one hundred plates hanging.  She had plates of all sizes, shapes, and colors from all the places she visited, or plates she just loved to look at!  Thinking to myself, when I am able to travel to any place when I grow up, I am going to be like A. Myrt. and collect plates!  Well, I did that for a while, but it puts allot of holes in the wall and it needs dusting too much to enjoy.  But, I do have a collection of plates!  Right after breakfast, A. Myrt. was rubbing her hands together to get the poker game started for the day, all day!  Good thing there wasn't any casino's at that time near by.  Just starting to think she might have had a gambling problem with pennies!!  She may have had an addiction for plants.  Since it was so boring, I had to be creative to find ways to entertain myself.  Anyway, going to see Aunt Myrtle was not a sacrifice, it was worth it to see how happy grandma was to see her sister.  Grandma never asked for much and was always easy to get along with and easy to please.  Also, she was easy to love, cause she loved everyone and was very grateful for her blessings.  I miss you grandma!!!