Ninety-Three

Yesterday we had the blessing of celebrating Papa and his 93rd birthday! The girls did a little decorating and as is our tradition we got balloons to mark the "seat" of the birthday person (in this case it was the bed)! It was a very sweet day and we are so thankful for yet another year to love Papa and to be loved by such a precious man. This Saturday would have marked Gigi’s 87th birthday. They were 6 years and 2 days apart. Over the years, today (the day in between) was the day we would celebrate both of their birthdays. It is very different this year and I know tomorrow will be a little hard, but only for us, as Gigi is celebrating in eternity.

Papa started the day with Sausage and Sharp Cheddar Quiche and fresh strawberries with whipped cream....nummy, nummy! Most of the day was like every other in that he did a lot of sleeping, it is good to get rest on your birthday!  What do we get a man who really wants nothing other than being with family for his birthday??? Well, Isabelle had the idea of finding the contents of one of her favorite memory makers with Papa….don’t gross out on us but here it is….canned sardines and canned anchovies, both in pure olive oil! Our older two, Isabelle in particular, spent many hours on Papa’s knee eating canned sardines and anchovies. In fact, I did the very same thing when I was a child! The problem is that over the years Papa had a very hard time finding them just as he liked them…..in olive oil only. Many are packed in water or tomato sauce but Papa is an olive oil man and those are hard to find. Well…..we have not looked for them in quite a few years and amazingly enough there they were, exactly what we wanted at Safeway! Papa was thrilled and so looks forward to making a few more memories with each of the great-grandchildren.

When I asked him a few days ago what he wanted for his birthday dinner, without hesitation he chose “Steak and Eggs”! Now for a man with a very small appetite this is a tall order! It didn’t matter whether he finished it or not, just that he had it! When I asked him what cut of steak he would like, I knew what he would say….and I was right…..Porterhouse (or in our day now, T-Bone)… one inch thick! We found just what we needed in the meat counter at Haggen and he enjoyed a few bites of his steak, eggs and sourdough toast birthday dinner! Even though he ate very little, he savored every bite and loved it! For dessert he chose Crème de’ Menthe cake, one of Gigi’s best recipes and his favorite for years…it is sooooooo very good! Papa loved his special day and we heartily thank the Lord for another year with this treasured man!