Carrie Sandstrom, Bismarck, letter: Thanks, Grandma! Notes of Marilyn’s biggest fan

BISMARCK — I am that creative 13-year-old who mixes their soda.

My grandma, Marilyn Hagerty, has been writing as long as I can remember. The majority of my memories of her also involve her notepad and story. I can recall going with her to review restaurants from the time I was old enough to accurately describe my dining experience to her, and together we’ve covered everything from McDonalds and, yes, Taco Bell, to seldom-heard-of diners inhabiting the nooks and crannies of the Midwest.

I’ve assessed everything from the saltiness of my soup to the color coordination of the dishes it was served in. I’ve had good meals and bad meals with my grandma, and between bites, she gave me nuggets of wisdom and tales from her childhood that entertained me just as much as the Harry Potter book I set beside me at the restaurant table.

These past few days have been a daze as I’ve been confronted with full-blown “Marilyn Madness.” People have varying opinions on her, her writing and her take on the world, and the internet craze has infiltrated my newsfeed.

I don’t know what made the Olive Garden “Eatbeat” unique, but it seems to me that people have finally discovered the woman I’ve been admiring all along.

Grandma Marilyn taught me the importance of adjectives and using words other than “bad” and “good” to describe things. She taught me how to be observant and how to “dance to the music.”

She’s taken me to interviews and to the library to do research. She encouraged me to eat my greens and to write constantly.

But most of all, she’s been an excellent grandma, and to me, that’s what she’ll always be.

Carrie Sandstrom

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