Josephine

My grandmother's name was Josephine Pauletti, but her sisters and brothers always called her Josie. My grandfather did too, though every once in a while he refered to her as 'dear,' usually after making a fresh comment on her cooking, or when he told me his famous line "never get married, Jonny!"

"Don't take after your grandfather," she'd smile to me, never taking it to heart.

I called my grandmother 'Grandma.' My mom told me it was one of the first words I learned to say. After I learned 'apple' and 'Mom,' 'Grandma' apparently came easy, though at first it sounded more like 'Gama.'

My grandmother was a warm and kindhearted woman, slightly overweight, a little short, and always well dressed. She called her colorfully designed and delightfully patterned shirts 'blouses' (which I could never figure out, the difference between a blouse and a shirt). She always wore black pants, ironed to show the crease at the front of the legs, that stopped right before her black slip-on shoes. Her short hair was curly all the time, especially after she went with my mom or Aunt Steffie to get a perm. She had a round and bulbous nose that held up big glasses in front of her brown eyes. Her round face smiled often.