100 years
Going on 10 years ago, The Commander was unhappily (albeit temporarily) residing at the long term care facility connected to War Memorial Hoosegow in Sault Ste. Siberia and we were figuring out what was NEXT. A social worker was visiting and it was a little crazy because I was telecommuting and the LSCHP (who almost NEVER called me) CALLED ME in the middle of it all so there was his big booming voice that you can hear even if you’re not on speaker.
The social worker was talking to mom about her life and was quite fascinated by mom’s stories of the travels she and my pilot dad took out in the American southwest during WWII. I will tell one of those stories here. When they decided to get married, mom had a plane reservation to get out there but got bumped in favor of a service person. So she took a train. When she reached her destination, she got dumped off the train in the middle of the night. It was pitch black and the station was locked up. And then… Dun dun dun… A MAN loomed in the darkness. Who was it? It was my dad! They were 22 and 24 when they married.
At one point the social worker said something about talking to mom in 10 years (conversationally, not officially). Mom replied with some horror that she wouldn’t be around in 10 years. I kind of rolled my eyes at that but it turned out she did only last most of another year. We moved her to assisted living and although I hoped she would be happy there, she never really got over losing her independence.
Today is the 100th anniversary of The Commander’s birth. Here she is in “god’s country” aka the yooperland threatening me with her cudgel for who knows what. Some snarky remark probably. Even though I know her birthdate, I was distracted this morning by trying to pay my car insurance. It’s due on my mom’s birthday and even though I’ve been paying it online for YEARS, I couldn’t manage to do it that way today (infinite loop anyone?) so I had to call. A beach urchin did remember her grandma’s birthday and a text from her reminded me 🧡
P.S. Last but not least, today is also the birthday of the “better half” of our friends of porterization. HB DP 🧡 Wish we were at Weber’s or The Earle or Real Seafood tonight 🐽
January 9th, 2021 at 7:17 pm
Sometimes I forget the age difference between Mom and her siblings and their significant others. They were all G2, so the same. Many fond, and sometimes intimidating memories of Aunt F. Without the cudgel. Although she might have been wielding a serving spoon.
January 10th, 2021 at 1:52 pm
Happy 100th to your mom! My dad is in the same position, and would be horrified at the thought of being alive 10 more years. We would love him around longer, but his health precludes that.