i have bessie’s back

Jul 15, 2021

I always thought I favored the McKain side of the family — Scott more the Garriott side. (He has many traits of our pap-pa Garriott.) But the older I get, the more I think I look like my Mom. I told her so today during a trip to her doctor. Her response to me was:

“You have Bessie’s back.”

Mom and Me

She went on to explain that I also have Bessie’s shoulders. WTH? I know without you telling me I look like I could either be a prize fighter or a distance swimmer — my shoulders are BROAD no matter what I weigh. But from photos of my Grandma Bessie, I thought she was a little thing. **boggle**

My grandma, Bessie

Bessie McKain was Dad’s Mom. I can remember Dad talking about my “black eyes” like Bessie… but I’m pretty sure not one other person on the planet will look at me and say:

Oh, Shelley… you have your grandma’s back and shoulders.” 🙄

Since photos of Bessie are sparse — and none of the ones I’ve seen show her backside — I have to take Mom’s word for it. It’s obvious I don’t have Mom’s blonde hair or light-colored eyes; and I don’t have grandpa’s caterpillar eyebrows either. G’ma is either looking into the sun in every single photo or her eyes resembled grumpy slits and that’s sure not me either. I’m merely a hodgepodge of all those I descend from.

I guess we all are…

TIL (Today I Learned): Bill Darden, founder of Red Lobster, founded his first restaurant known as Green Frog in 1938, defying the laws of Georgia by refusing to segregate his customers based on race.