She was always on the go, or at least that's what it seemed like to me. When she wasn't sitting in her big chair by the window, Nonna Providenza was off visiting family and friends. Mom said it was because she had Gypsy blood in her. thought she really meant it until I was old enough to realize that was just another expression from the Old Country.

It didn't matter where she went, just so she went somewhere. It was an hour-long trolley ride to visit the old neighborhood on the North Side. Even if she could have gotten up and down the tall steps, Grandma didn't feel comfortable traveling by herself.

That left her dependent on my father. So throughout the week, Grandma waited impatiently until the whole family could go somewhere in my father's car. A family picnic, a drive to the Cemetery or a visit to the North Side to see my Uncle's, it didn't matter where.

"Let's go" was all Daddy ever had to say. And, as Mom teased, "Your Nonna is ready to go at the drop of a hat".

One Sunday afternoon, as we were leaving for the hour-long ride to Uncle Frank's house, Grandma decided she had better use the bathroom before we left. Mom told her we would wait for her in the car. We all piled into Daddy's 1937 Plymouth parked at the front of the house. A few minutes later, Grandma appeared on the front porch. As she started to descend the steps, my brother John shouted, "Look at Grandma!" She was dressed in her Sunday best, holding her purse and gloves in one hand and reaching for the handrail- with her dress stuck up in her corset.

"Stop, Ma," my mother shouted and pointed for to her to look down.

Horrified, Grandma turned around to go back into the house, giving the neighbors an even better view of her girdle, bloomers and slip. In the car Johnny, Mom, Dad and I laughed even harder at Grandma's most embarrassing moment.

Tall steps and traveling alone didn't stop my grandmother from going to Long Island, New York to visit Aunt Frances and Uncle Nick. When their dry cleaning business was good, they sent her a train ticket to visit them for a couple of weeks. Nonna rode the train two days and overnight from Chicago Union Station to New York Central Station.

One time as Uncle Gene was bringing her home from Union Station, she walked in with a bunch of bloody handkerchiefs. Her blood pressure acted up and her nose wouldn't stop bleeding. A trip to Dr. Golub's office and Grandma was off and running again.

I was 18 years old when the travel bug bit me. After my first train trip to California, I discovered I had inherited Grandma's penchant for going places. From that point on I kept an overnight bag packed and, as Mom would say, ready to go at the drop of a hat.

On my trip back to Chicago last year for the Taddeo family reunion, I mentioned Grandma's gallivanting to cousin Annie. "I guess I'm just like my Nonna Providenza- always on the go," I said.

"That's funny," she answered. "All I remember is that Zia Providenza sat in her big chair by the window all the time."

Go figure.

Cousin Annie's Artichoke Frittata

Cousin Annie did remember that when Grandma wasn't sitting by the window, she was at the stove cooking.

Typically Sicilian, a frittata is like an omelet. You can use fresh, canned or leftover vegetables and serve it for lunch or as a side dish.

The fun of a frittata is flipping it over successfully, a trick I am still trying to master.
6 eggs
1 / 4 cup half and half
1 / 4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 / 2 teaspoon basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 8 oz. can artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
1 / 4 cup grated Romano cheese

Beat eggs until foamy. Add milk, garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper, mixing well. Add drained unseasoned artichoke hearts to egg mixture and mix.

Heat oil and butter in a 10-inch frying pan. Add egg mixture and cook over medium heat until eggs are set. Put a plate over the pan and quickly invert the pan and plate upside down. Slide the loosened frittata back into the pan and finish cooking. When done, turn out onto a clean plate and let it cool for two minutes to set before serving.

Serves 4.

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Antoinette Jackson is a Bullard-area resident. You may reach her at Antojxn@aol.com.