the altoid conspiracy

My family's relationship to the last remaining grandparent is strained, mainly because she likes to make up mean stories about family members to tell to other family members. Usually they involve people being mean to her or exhibiting personality traits that she finds offensive. Often, they give metaphorical form to emotions that she's having but probably has no idea how to deal with in a healthy way. Herein lies the single practical application of my degrees in English - I can analyze her output and come to what have mostly proven to be reliable assessments of her motivation.


I have stories - oh, do I have stories - but for right now I will relate only the latest, in which she somehow obtains information that none of us gave her. It's harmless information, and really doesn't have anything to do with her, but it's strange that she would have gotten it. My mom's hypothesis - that she is in league with the devil - seems farfetched, and my Other's hypothesis - that another relative told her - seems unlikely to me considering that keeping information from the grandmother is this person's cherished pastime.


The problem is, I can't offer any alternative explanations, aside from a level of obervant-ness that she has not exhibited before. Either that or she's got us bugged, in which case we're all screwed.