yesterday Zerelda met her Great Great Grandma Marie.

today Marie is having partial hip replacement surgery after a fall. Kevin doesn't want this on facebook. (I found out my aunt AND my Grandma died on facebook.....)this breaks my heart. how can a 97 year old woman (98 next month) do physical therapy? but if anyone can do it, it is Grandma Marie. yesterday she told me about her father, a tall, handsome man. He was 6' with coal black hair and blue eyes. He was Irish. He helped with the children, which men didn't do back then. They had a family of 9. 7 girls, 2 boys. Her father always helped her mother, he told her he'd 'take a handful of children.' Once when Marie was sick, she cried and cried and cried for her father, who was out in the barn. someone went to get him, he came in, comforted Marie, and when all was well, returned to his work in the barn. I am glad she has these happy memories and that she is still able to share them.

Kevin's Grandma is so important to him. he was never close to his mother, but him and Grandma were tight. today is his day off, he had a mandatory meeting to go to, then was going to the hospital to wait with his dad.

Grandma kept asking if Zerelda was a girl or a boy. how old? 9 months? 11 months? she thought she was a fine baby, a real sweetheart, with a strong grip. and she thanked us for coming to see her with this baby.