Janingalina

Sunday I spent the whole night at the hospital with my parents, two aunts and a pregnant cousin. These were not the aunts I've been close to while i was growing up. We're a breed of strong minded women, and there have been a lot of feuds. But I was glad they were there.

These two aunts spent the night crackin wise and flipping everyone off. My Dad and I went on a 1am fast food/playing card run, and when we came back one aunt went over to grandpa's bed and said, "We just got some cards, Joe Dodd, and we're going to play Dirty Hearts, but we're not going to deal you in, because you CHEAT!"

I just about laughed my head off. The man can barely raise his hand, and needed help turning over in the bed, but if he could have he'd have been sharking us at Hearts.

We did the allnighter after they took him off all his meds. We waited with him while his body metabolized all the potassium left in his system. My folks dropped me off Monday morning. I caught a couple hours of sleep and then went back to the hospital (very easy, as i live ~4miles away). I found Grandma and one aunt there. Gradma and I had lunch, we split a personal pizza in the cafeteria, mended some fences and caught up. I split out after a couple of hours and went back to the techno fest.

After I left, I hear that Mom and more of her sisters went to the hospital. They took a little stereo with them and played some WWII love songs. Grandpa was dancing in the bed, they were doing the Can-Can in their chairs. Sounds like it was a party.

When I came back after work on Tuesday, both my folks were there, as well as one of the aunts and the pregnant cousin. When I got there he told me that the bedsore was a pain in his ass. A little while later he told a story about Bootleggers in the Navy - using blankets like cowboy bootleggers did in the stories he read as a boy.

Because Grandpa was in Hospice, they could give him whatever he wanted, basically. So they brought in some Chardonnay. My Dad put it into a plastic cup with a bendy straw and offered it to Grandpa. He pushed his oxygen mask up and took a coupla sips. He smiled, smacked his lips and whispered, "Ooh, that's nice.."

He was dead about an hour later.

After we did what there was to be done at the hospital, we headed over to hte Max and Ermas. My aunt from Texas ordered 10 margaritas as she sat down. Thinking ahead, I asked for 3 orders of those hot chocolate chip cookies. Because if that's one thing we know how to do, it's drink and eat cookies. :) Everyone that was in town showed up to that dinner.

Today is the viewing. It starts with lunch at Grandma's house, a family open casket viewing, and then public closed casket viewings (with a generous break for dinner).

Saturday will be the funeral - 3pm at the funeral home, then we're headed to the cemetary for military honors. Then we're off to the Racquetball Club for a buffet dinner, open bar and some dancing.

My peeps love to party. :)