Vera Turns Eighty-Six

Right before Thanksgiving, we were called with the news that Mom was being rushed to the hospital with a high fever and much breathing difficulty. The news was grim, and the diagnosis was aspiration pneumonia. Mom spent eight days in the hospital, and the first four days were very much "touch and go." But, we are finding out our Mom is pretty feisty and spunky and after the third introduction of an antibiotic, with back-pounding treatments several times a day, she rallied. Perhaps she knew it was soon her 86th birthday and she had more great-grandchildren to welcome into the world. And today, we celebrated her big day. Below: Mom and her two daughters. Do you think we look alike? Earlier, someone asked if my sister and I were twins...that was a first! We're actually six years apart.

Happy Birthday, dear Mom! It was a pleasure celebrating your 86 years on earth. And your first ever time of being sung to by a local school group

who readily sang the Happy Birthday Song to you after finishing up with their Christmas caroling! Thanks, kids!