Tuesday was mom's 82nd birthday. Michael drove her to our home for a four day celebration. I was a bit worried about this visit. It was the first time we would be together since we saw each other at my sister’s house. I suspected I would hear all about Chip’s smoking and Lee eating bread and I really didn’t want to hear it.
When they were in the car together, Michael pointed out to her that all her children have succeeded on their own and live good lives. The grandchildren are all fine and living great lives. She needs to remember the larger picture and not focus so much on the small things that may bug her.
She stayed positive the entire visit.
The most beautiful weather in months suddenly appeared just for the one day on her birthday. We sat outside to enjoyed every minute of it and talked until 6:00! Even Ron and Susan came over to share some wine with Michael.
My job was to be sure she ate while she was here. For her birthday dinner, we BBQed two racks of lamb served with a salad of heirloom tomatoes, roasted rosemary potatoes and asparagus followed by a homemade chocolate cake covered in chocolate ganache and pralines. Oh my.
She cleaned her plate!
Wednesday, we drove down to the Santa Cruz county line to see the wind surfers and just breathed in the cool, clean air. We said a quick hello to the Elephant Seals at Ano Nuevo then split a chicken sandwich at Costanoa. Perfect. That night, we served her very favorite dinner: hot dogs, cole slaw and cranberries. Cleaned her plate once again. We even had leftover birthday cake for dessert!
On Thursday, we went to our favorite store on earth. We shopped and both of us found cute clothes for our upcoming Las Vegas trip. We chatted with the most interesting people. One woman just found out she needed a knee replacement and was reeling from the news. We talked for just minutes but I think I made her feel a bit better about it all. Another woman stopped us and began talking about her MS. We must have talked for 20 minutes! So strange how they were drawn to us.
We arrived at Mom’s yearly appointment right on time. The nicest woman and her 15-year old daughter sat next to us and so, yes, we started talking together. Well, after mom was called in to see the doctors, we continued to have a conversation. The daughter was delightful and was fighting a rare disease. She was in great spirits. Great kid. Great mom.
Mom passed all of her tests and the mycosis fungoides has not returned after 20-years. She is amazing!
That night, we had leftovers and some scrambled eggs for dinner. Our friend Wayne and his two handsome teenage boys dropped by. Thankfully, they finished off the cake! My mom once again fell in love with them. They both have the ability to engage in an interesting conversation with anyone about anything. They are such great kids.
So, I drove her home yesterday, enjoyed a bit of sunshine then drove back home into the fog. Yes, it is back. Again. Nuts!
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