Quote 1
She could look at me again now, though her eyes were pink and glistening. "You take the kitten. I'll keep the cat," she said. "You go on home to your folks. It'll be all right. I don't lock my doors." (7.106)
Despite the fact that Grandma Dowdel likes having Mary Alice around (after all, she's in that big old house all by herself), she still sends her granddaughter home to her parents and brother. That's where she really belongs. Sometimes—okay, lots of times—family involves sacrifice.
Quote 2
When he asked who gave the bride away in marriage, Grandma said, "That'd be me."
She handed me over. Then she looked aside, out the bay window, blinking at the brightness of the day. I know because I looked back for one more glimpse of her. Then I married Royce McNabb. (8.7-8)
Mary Alice's father may not be there to give her away, but that doesn't mean she's entirely without family for her wedding. Her grandmother steps in to take on the very symbolic task of giving her away. Do you think Mary Alice would have made a different choice if her father had been there?
Quote 3
"I rubbed butter on all four of her paws. That's what you do with a cat in a new place. By the time they've licked off all that butter, they're right at home. Works every time." (1.137)
Grandma Dowdel has a foolproof method for ensuring that a cat feels right at home when it moves to a new place. Rubbing butter on Bootsie's paws may seem like a silly thing to do, but Mary Alice can't argue with the results. Makes us wonder what the human equivalent of "buttered paws" is…
Quote 4
"I'll fire up the stove in my front room," Grandma said. "It'll be warm as toast in there."
"But—"
"Or you can serve store-bought cupcakes at your place."
Mrs. Weidenbach crumbled. (5.73-76)
Grandma Dowdel's house might not be the fanciest on the block, but she's still mighty proud of her home. In fact, she demands that Mrs. Weidenbach hold George Washington's Birthday tea right there. A warm stove and homemade cupcakes. What could be more hospitable?
Quote 5
"I'll leave this wire stretched till morning. Watch your step on the way to the house," Grandma said. "I'll be along in a little while."
She meant she was going to use her privy, and she spoke with some satisfaction because it was still there to use. (2.35-36)
Ten points to Grandma Dowdel! She has managed to thwart and humiliate the Halloween pranksters. Plus, she's kept her privy standing. This has been a good night for Grandma.
Quote 6
I was shocked at how the grown-ups pushed in first. But then here came Ina-Rae Gage, who always looked so wan and drawn that I cut her an extra-wide slice of pecan.
When she was past, Grandma muttered to me, "That's the skinniest girl that ever I saw. She could rest in the shade of a clothesline." (2.97-98)
Times must be tough if the grown-ups are pushing past the kids for food. Poor Ina-Rae looks so starved that Mary Alice decides to give her more pie than all the other folks in line. She could use some fattening up—and pie's just what the doctor ordered.
Quote 7
Grandma looked closer. "Looky there," she said. "That's Kate Smith. Do you suppose that's a good picture of her? I hadn't any idea she was such a big, full-figured woman."
Kate Smith was a very big, very full-figured woman. She was as big as—Grandma. (3.104-105)
Grandma Dowdel doesn't have a Kardashian-approved body, but she's still comfortable with how she looks. Despite her confidence, she's still happy to see someone famous who looks like her and is a big, full-figured woman too.
Quote 8
"That's too good a show for us to keep to ourselves," Grandma said.
With the thought, she was through the door and out in the front yard. Planting her house shoes, she jammed the Winchester into her shoulder, aimed high, and squeezed off both barrels. The world exploded. Birds rose shrieking from the trees, and the town woke with a start. (6.105-106)
Grandma Dowdel is never the kind of person who will let something this good go unacknowledged. She wakes up the whole town when Maxine comes running out of the attic buck-naked.
Quote 9
"Posing?" Grandma said. "Well, I better make a rule against painting pictures of naked women in my attic." (6.127)
Grandma Dowdel isn't actually scandalized by the fact that Maxine Patch was nude in her attic, but she does put her foot down and tell Arnold he can't do that anymore. Still, she's not going to try to run him out of town or anything. It takes more than nudity—and reptiles—to shock her.