Birthday Bash - 88 Years!

The Hillcrest Gazebo was full of McCanns Saturday for Grandma's 88th birthday. Everyone was there, even cousin Denny (wife Peggy & son Zachary) all the way from Virginia whom we haven't seen in decades. Cousins Greg and Demara also came in from Kentucky. We missed A. Ruth and U. Bernie (Phoenix AZ), and Melinda and Don & the triplets (St. Peters MO).

Maxine and Claire's family (Sidebar: Maxine was Grandma's niece but the same age as Grandma; Maxine's husband Claire was Grandpa's cousin. Glenn & Dolores and Claire & Maxine hung out quite a bit together.) were also there: Virgil & Karen, Janie and her two girls Carly & Grace, and Linda. Linda brough Maxine last year to Hillcrest for Grandma's birthday, and even though Maxine wasn't as far along as Grandma in her Alzheimer's, she looked real good and held a conversation quite well. It was a shock when Maxine died earlier this year. I thought she had a while yet.

Aunt Rosemary did Grandma's hair before they brought her out to the gazebo and she looked really good. Grandma stopped coloring her hair and let it go to its natural state it has been a really beautiful silvery-gray color for the last couple of years. She has colored her hair for as long as I can remember so she must have gone gray really early. I have photos of her with red hair and then really early photos that looked like she was a strawberry blonde.

In true McCann fashion we had a ton of food, all good. Lot's of sweets. My vote goes to A. Carol and her coconut pie.

Grandma ate a good meal (been eating good lately- total turn around from a couple of weeks ago) and she even had room for brownies and cake. Of course she had to stick her fingers in it, but I think she was encouraged. Someone commented, maybe it was me, about coming full circle: Parents let us stick our fingers in birthday cake when we are young, and then when we are older we get to do the same thing again. Sweet.

I think she knew it was her birthday (or at least some special day), she was sitting upright in her chair and looking quite perky for a long time. She knew her family was around her and she took all of the hugs and kisses she could get. Every time someone came to sit by her she had to hold their hand. Well after the food and the cake was gone, she was still sitting there, eyes open, soaking it all in. Demara thought she looked tired and we looked at the clock and were surprised it was after 7:00 p.m. Grandma normally starts nodding off around 7:00 p.m. As tired as she may have been, I could tell she wasn't going to give up that day for anything.