Birthdays
Mom turned 85 last month. At this point, she's outlived everyone in her family except for her grandpa, who made 86. They're generally not a long-lived bunch, but somehow, she's beaten the family odds. This, of course, called for a celebration! Dad ordered her a wonderful cake. I wasn't sure how this would go over since Mom has refused to eat cake for months now - but it was lemon and buttercream and I cut her a very small slice. To my surprise, she ate it all and asked for a second, bigger piece! It was a great party. We used the private dining room at the home. No decorations, but for our smiles and Mom's lipstick. While we were waiting for people to arrive, she asked to be taken back to her room. "Back to her room" is usually a very long and involved process, but I thought it was better than asking her to sit still and wait, so I wheeled her back. She wanted to brush her hair and put on lipstick and i...