Homage to a skirt! girl

Over the weekend, my great aunt passed away at the age of 93.  Because of who she was I saw it only fitting for me to dedicate my first skirt! post to honor her memory.   She was simply indescribable, uncontainable and definitely unforgettable.  Her personality was like none I've ever seen. Had I not seen her in action myself I could only imagine seeing such a character on the big screen. I’ll never forget the way she would pinch that little bit of skin on your tricep while turning to get your attention, the meticulous way she would pin up her hair, the countless victims who were peppered with her BB gun, and the sparkle in her eye.  Spunky, sassy, feisty and probably a bit dangerous! 

Although she was tough as nails her compassion was visible just under that thick skin.

From the fibers of my young memories, woven with the stories I've heard through the years a  her legacy is a vibrant tapestry of a dedicated, vivacious, strong woman.   She didn’t play into who she was supposed to be, hide her convictions or do what was “expected” at a time when women just didn’t act that way.  My mom tells me that she spent her best years caring for my great grandma in the midst of gentleman callers who were lined up to marry her.  I  never saw this side of her but it just adds another layer of depth to her story.  She immersed herself in caregiving professionally as a nurse but also in being the foundation for her extended family. Breathtakingly beautiful, she took pride in her home, community and everything else she poured her energy into.  However, if you crossed her you were likely to get cussed out or even shot. 

No, seriously....shot.

The last time I saw her was some years ago – she and my grandmother were roommates in the facility where they were being cared for.  At a spry 80 years old or so she was still writing notes in pristine cursive and dressed in her favorite wool skirt and gray sweater vest (that couldn’t be replaced or removed), chasing other male residents away from her door with her cane and rattling off her famous clichés.  In the sunset of her years she had grown tired and weary after 9 scores on this earth.  I believe under the layers of age and life the embers of her fiery soul were still burning.

She was the epitome of a skirt! girl; bold, passionate, heartfelt, edgy, proud, unapologetic.   To our family the legend of Aunt Ginny continues…….

“If ignorance was an alley you’d be a boulevard” –one of my favorite Aunt Ginny quotes

 RIP Virginia Carter (1916-2010)