Saturday Night Live

Last night, Joyce, Sheila and Mark came over for dinner.  I did most of my prep work ahead of time, so I "think" it went fairly smooth.  We had Caesar salad, cabbage rolls, Angus steak, and baked potatoes for dinner.  We also had a few bottles of wine and several varieties of beer, thanks to Gary.   After dinner, I baked a peach cobbler that was from my Aunt Evelyn's files.  We all ate a lot and talked.  Joyce will be leaving on Tuesday, and it seems like she just got here. 

Joyce and Sheila went and painted the clay projects (bowls and goblets) that they made a couple of weeks ago.  They had to wait until it was fired so they could put the final paint and glaze on them.  I don't know what they look like, they've got to be fired again.  They looked red in the pictures Joyce showed me, but they added some beads that "burst" with color when they're fired.  I am really looking forward to seeing the finished products.

After dinner, we sat at the table and talked all evening.  I am not sure what we talked about, but we covered quite a few bases.

I am also suspecting that we sat too long, because I got up to do something and got those painful muscle cramps in the back of my legs, between my butt and knees.  I could not do anything to get them to stop.  Gary came over and held my legs up waist high for me while I sat there.  Finally, relief..... until I tried to stand up again.  Sheila finally got up and found me some mustard to eat.  That is what my Dad always used when he got muscle cramps.  I don't know if it was the mustard or not, but they went away in a few minutes after that. 

Guess it was just too much excitement for them, cause they left shortly thereafter.  Gary went to bed, but Stella and I stayed up and cleaned the kitchen.  It only took about 30 minutes, so it wasn't that difficult.

Speaking of my Dad using mustard...... today is his birth date.  Just this time last year he was happy as a lark.  His memory was pretty much shot... thinking I was his sister one day, and his mother the next.... but he was as happy as one could hope for.  Here is a cute video we made of the small family party we had for him.

By the way, it is my husbands job in life to sing Happy Birthday out of tune.  It's the only song I've ever heard him sing.... maybe he can't sing at all. 

Anyway, Dad was just like a little kid when it came to his birthday.  As Janice so aptly said... He was in the Army and also the Marines, but basically, he was a Marine.  He was a valiant fighter, but he could not beat Alzheimer's Dementia.  I wish I could have been a better daughter to him while he lived with me, and that I had done more.  If you've never lived with anyone that has that terrible disease, you probably won't understand that statement.  I thank God I have such a wonderful husband.  He was my father's best friend for the last four years of his life.  I could not have done any of it without him.  I do take comfort in knowing that this year he is with his beloved Granny Jean, my step-mother, his wife and best friend.  He was so lonesome for her, having taken care of her in her final years, while she too was fightng Alzheimer's Dementia.  He is finally at peace once again, beside his beloved Granny Jean.