I had to make one more quick trip to the sticks for a birthday party for my niece, Super Chic and to do one last load of laundry before we go on our big trip up north. Gotta have all the clothes clean so that maximum cute outfits can be worn. You know how it goes.

While I was out in the sticks we also squeezed in a pancake breakfast at my Grandpa’s house. As you can see he’s doing quite well after just having a pretty serious surgery. I guess we just have super genes in this family. Surgery? No sweat! My Grandpa’s surgery is way way way more serious than mine but he recuperated almost as quickly as I did. He’s amazing.

I love visiting my Grandpa’s house. It’s like stepping back in time. I used to spend a lot of time at my Grandparent’s (not this house but others that they lived in) when I was growing up and all the knick knacks and doo dads remind me of being a little kid. I miss my Grandma so much. She died many years ago. My Grandpa keeps almost everything exactly the way she did. Except he does guy things like hang every single cooking utensil on the wall just like he hangs all his tools up in his tool shed. I love him for his quirky ways. He’s an inventor. He’s invented lots of things but none of them are famous.

Thank you to all of you who prayed that my Grandpa might get better quick. He sure appreciated it. I need to ask you to keep praying for him. Physically he’s back to his old self but mentally he’s still suffering.

You might remember my Great Aunt, my Grandpa’s sister? Well, her health has been declining drastically this last year. She finally had to be put into a rest home and she’s slowly dying. Unfortunately, it’s affecting her mind the most. What’s so terrible is that my Grandpa has waited on her hand and foot for probably the last ten years. He’s caring that way. He cooks for her and cleans and runs around town doing errands for her. He stays by her bedside 24/7 when she’s in the hospital. His life is dedicated to her. He used to leave little notes in her bed clothes for the nurses to find. The notes would say things like, “Please take care of my sister.” It’s all very sad and tragic because the hospital staff wasn’t always as caring as he would like them to be.

But what is the most sad is that my Great Aunt is turning against my Grandpa. She’s going insane and telling him that he doesn’t love her any more. It’s ripping my Grandpa to pieces. He knows it’s her dementia and that she is not herself but for some reason he can’t stop taking it personally. He’s been crying a lot and worrying himself sick when he should be taking it easy. It’s just so hard to lose the ones you love.

My Grandpa is in the hospital recovering from surgery (I can’t really go into details because he’s private about these things… but it was a pretty serious surgery). He’s recovering now but in quite a bit of pain. My Mom and Baby Bug and I went to visit him this afternoon just as the sun was setting. For some reason when the day’s end rays of light were shining through the window, it seemed really peaceful and beautiful to me so I took some pictures.

I don’t know if my grandfather would like pictures of himself in the hospital on the internet but thankfully he doesn’t really pay much attention to my blog. He has dial up internet and my webpage isn’t exactly designed for slow connections. I doubt he’ll ever see this. I’m thinking my extended family, who can’t make it down to visit him, will appreciate seeing him so peaceful. His eyes are closed because my Mom was reading the bible to him. Listening to the words made him feel better.

There is nothing like watching an old man appreciate the scriptures. They mean so much more to him than they do to me. Watching him made me want to have more faith. When you get old and everything hurts… these are the things that comfort you. Painkillers just don’t cut it all the time.

Anyway, he’s getting better and I’m sure he’ll be back to his old spry self in no time.