Today is Nanny's birthday. Until noon today, the plan was for the whole family - kids and grandkids - to meet at a local restaurant for dinner. I was going to make the birthday cake.
Everybody but Nanny knew about this plan. We weren't trying to keep it a secret from her to surprise her, we just all neglected to tell her.
A little before noon, I went to the grocery store to get stuff to make a cake. While I was in the grocery store, The Husband called and said the restaurant wasn't taking reservations, as it had been packed every night since Sunday night's storm (which had knocked out power in a large area, but not at that restaurant). They couldn't guarantee us a table for 10.
I didn't much care where we ate and named off a few other nearby restaurants. The Husband said he'd call his sister and they'd come up with Plan B. Meanwhile, I found a frozen strawberry cake in the deli section and decided it would do just fine for the birthday cake. Shortly after I returned home from the grocery store, The Husband called and said that Plan B was "the party is at our house." Surprise! There was a moment of panic before he told me his sister was bringing barbeque and fixings. Whew, no cooking. Cool.
An hour before the party was to start, our next-door neighbor called and asked me to go check on her grandfather, who lives here on the hill. "Uncle B" (as my children called him), age 93, had taken a nap on the couch and could not get up. I put on some shoes and hurried across the road to check on him. He was lying flat on his back on the couch and could not figure out how to sit up. The couch had sort of swallowed him. I helped him sit up, and once he had his bearings, I helped him to his feet. Other than being 93 and frail, he was okay. Once his daughter called and said she was on her way, I came home to set up for the party.
The Husband came home just as I reached our driveway. I had seen Nanny's car go by while I was with Uncle B, and it seemed odd that she would have gone somewhere so soon before the party. When I asked The Husband if he had told Nanny about the party, he said he hadn't talked to her but assumed that his sister had told her. His sister had assumed HE had told her. In any case, she showed up on time.
The strawberry birthday cake from the deli freezer was absolutely delicious. Seriously.
After supper, Nanny opened her presents. The "hit" gift was a bag of candy from each member of Son #1's family - 82 "Kisses," 82 Tootsie Rolls, 82 jelly beans, etc. - one piece of each kind of candy for each of her 82 years.
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