Meet My 90-Year Old Grandma

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"Take off your hat Keith," Grandma Bee said not long after I sat down at her 90th Birthday party.

I obliged, it was her Birthday, and pull off my hat,  letting my still damp hair flop out.

"You can put it back on now," she said slow and quiet— a faint smirk.

"At least I showered for you," I jab back.

Grandma Wehmeyer has always lacked tact when commenting on the appearance of her family. She's called half of us fat at one time or another. I used to take it too personal. Now, I laugh and smile; she is my only remaining Grandparent after all.

My Grandparents were never the sort to do much for us, but I have come to that realization endearingly. Instead, the gifts they left me with came by example and now I finally understand that it is these gifts that are better than any other

Some of my fondest memories and some of my strongest passions reflect my Grandparents.

Every Christmas Eve we'd trek to Parsonsfield, my Grandparents house, the apple orchard. In Cornish, we'd turn left down the dirt road. Over the river and through the woods... We'd have a big dinner, open modest gifts and laugh a lot. We'd drive home late on Christmas Eve, watching the sky for Rudolph's Red Nose and Santa's sleigh.

I'll admit. Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's wasn't high on my priority list around the Holidays. I wanted presents! But now, it isn't the presents that I remember.

Quaker meeting with Grandma and Grandpa didn't get my blood pumping either. But today, I call myself a Quaker.

Walks in the apple orchard, bird watching and identifying plants didn't hold as much weight as playing video games, or riding bikes. Nowadays, walking in the woods is my passion, I always stop to quietly watch animals of any size and want to learn more about identifying plants.

Happy Birthday Grandma. And Thank You.

Find more pictures from Grandma's party on my Flickr.