You're how old?

Yesterday was my birthday! I am happy with my age, 62, and can't believe I've made it this far. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about it, very happy about it. But I feel like I'm still looking out of 20 year old eyes and I'm always surprised when I look in the mirror and see the older me (AND more of me). But I accept myself just the way I am. I learned a long time ago that you make your own happiness and as my mother always said "If you're not happy, it's your own fault." These are words I've always lived by.

My brother, Dewey, with our mother, Alice, at our sister,
Nina's recent wedding.

My mother is now 84 and still a kick-in-pants. She has dementia, remembers our names, sometimes can't remember which name actually goes with which person. But her sense of humor has not diminished. She loves all babies and will ask any parent "How much for the kid?" When we go out we have to watch her like a hawk. One time a hostess directed us to a table by saying "Take any seat you'd like." My mother reached over, grabbed her butt, and said "Is this seat taken?"  Luckily the young woman must have liked (and understood about) little old ladies because she brushed off my apology with a quick, "don't worry about it."

My daughter, her family and I, took her to lunch for her birthday. It was a great surprise party for her. She just kept being surprised every time we told her it was her birthday. I gave her a gift in a gift bag and she kept finding it, opening it, and being surprised what was inside. We had a great time and although she doesn't remember, her great-grand children do. They are making the memories for her. While somewhat dismayed about the repeated questions that they've just answered, they answer again and again with a smile.

And great-grandma Alice just keeps smiling.

A water leak!

We have had sooooo much fun here the last few days. Their was a pinhole leak in the pipe to the front bathroom shower. It was a small spray. We had it fixed. BUT, the wall board is WET. Capital letters WET. We had a company here that put dehumidifiers and an air filter in the bathroom and my closet. Oh yea, I had to empty my closet, it shares a common wall with the bathroom. The dehumidifiers and air filter had to be on for 72 hours straight. They make a lot of noise, and they are in our bedroom. The only bedroom with a bed. So we spent three nights at a nice Fairfield Inn. We are home now, the equipment is gone. The wall in the closet is dry but the bathroom still has two walls that are not dry and under the flooring is still wet.

Of course we have insurance and it will put it all right, but the time, worry and aggravation are the pits. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

I'll look on the bright side . . . tomorrow my sister, Nina, is getting married.

SewCalGal Pets on Quilt Show

I love this blog, Insights from SewCalGals. They are having an online quilt show, Pets on Quilts. This is the quilt I have entered.

To Some I am Aunt Bonnie, to others I am Lalo

Not coming from a large family, I have only one niece and one nephew. Neither were taught to call me Aunt before my given name. They both just call me Bonnie. My cousin David's children, which are my second cousins (I think), were taught to call me Aunt Bonnie, go figure. My grandchildren, of which I have two, a boy (12) and a girl (15) both call me Lalo. I know, strange. When my granddaughter was first learning to talk it seems I was always telling her "Grandma loves you." She would try to say love you and it came out la loo. When I would prompt her to say "Grandma" she would say "la loo" which morphed into "La Lo." So I am Lalo to my grand children. My grandson wants to call me Grandma now, but keeps forgetting. Oh well, I always wanted a nickname growing up . . . and not Bon Bon.