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Mom is 90!

Yep, my mama is now official NINETY…. hard to believe eh?  All things considered, she is doing pretty well and, as we both say from time to time, it beats the alternative!  My dear sister-in-law (soul sister) Joyce (my late half-brother T.J. gets the prize for bringing the best person in the family into the family by marrying her back in the 60s) flew out for a weekend from Los Angeles.  It has been 6 or 7 years since she has been able to visit us and see the boys.  She is their absolute favorite relative, she is SOOOOO good to them!  Anyway, we had a wonderful visit….

Mom and Joyce at Mom’s place

Joyce arrived on a COLD Friday (it was late January/February temps…. highs in the low 20s, lows down to ten, plus breezy!) evening, and we gave her the evening tour through all 2 blocks of lit-up downtown Camden, passing the lobster-trap-Christmas-tree (topped by our favorite crustacean) in downtown Rockland en route from the small Knox County airport.  I think Joyce was stunned to be in a 9-seat plane!   I guess we are so used to pipsqueak planes that it seems normal…..

Joyce outside Quarry Hill

This is a LOVELY picture of Joyce in the frigid air outside Quarry Hill, the retirement community where mom lives (it has independent and assisted living areas, a demetia unit and a small nursing care unit, used mostly for folks who get ill but will recover enough to return to their regular apartments).  That light stuff you see in the middle of the photo is not a camera flare…that’s frozen breath!

On Saturday night, we went out to a lovely restaurant, Atlantica, right on Camden Harbor.  I took my camera.  I forgot to use it!  But we had a lovely dinner, all six of us.  The boys were well behaved, and Mom really seemed to enjoy the outing.  The chef was very kind… it is a seafood restaurant, but mom is vegetarian.  When I called to see about reservations he said “no problem, I’d be glad to make a vegetarian plate for her”.  WONDERFUL!

On Sunday, I fixed dinner for us at home:

Dinner at home

Then Eli helped out…he is becoming quite the photographer:

At the table, with me in the picture for a change:

If anyone knows, by the way, someplace that still has the fabric I used in the apron, let me know… I’d love to buy another couple yards!

Joyce gave mom a small watercolor of Bermuda, where mom and dad lived (and I was conceived) when she and my brother first met, and where Joyce and T. vacationed.  I gave mom my 2007 journal quilt because it uses a photo she bought in Japan when she lived and worked there in 1946-47 with the US Occupation Army and which she still has on her dresser, of the little girls.  The photos of  Hiroshima are ones I took when Mom and I visited there in 1996…and she loves the quilt:

Mom opens my gift

After gifties, we did a real birthday cake.  Rather than risk setting the house on fire, I used the boys’ birthday candles to make a “90” (I bought each of them a numeral candle for each year, then we double up those 0-9 candles for their teen years–currently the “1” candles are getting a real workout during the teen years).

Mom’s birthday cake

And one more of mom:

Mom with her cake

Joyce departed on Monday, one day before the official birthday.  Because it was SO cold, we decided Mom shouldn’t go out, so we took sandwiches and ate with her at Quarry Hill.   I used the timer on my camera to take this picture on mom’s living room sofa:

Joyce Mom and me


6 Responses to “Mom is 90!”

  1. Jacquie Says:

    When there were no blog entries for so long I figured you were having too good a visit to bother with the rest of us! Happy that your mom’s birthday was such a nice one. 90 is a real landmark birthday! Now you can settle down to Christmas prep, cookies, tree and such…

    Have fun!

    jq

  2. sueeeus Says:

    90! That’s something! Sounds like a wonderful celebration for all.

  3. Gerrie Says:

    Happy Birthday and best wishes to your Mom. Good for you for bringing her to live close to you. I hope I can look that good in 20 years.

  4. Marie Says:

    Mom looks really good – very regal really. Looks like it was a very good week. You all needed that !

  5. terry grant Says:

    Your Mom is beautiful. Wishing her a very happy birthday.

  6. Rhea Daiute Says:

    Hey lady!!!

    Your Mom is a HOT ticket!

    (Now I know where you get it from)

    I should be such a 90 year old!