Memorial Day Weekend

We drove to West Newton Thur afternoon. We stayed with Gigi and played out in the backyard. The kids love to visit Gigi's.

Friday morning we went to the cemetery. We visited both sides of the family. K did a family tree and copied down all the dates of birth and death. Gigi will be 96 this year and so her parents were born in 1888 and 1890! That was such a good history lesson for K - all her friends were born in 2000 so she was very impressed that Gigi's Mom was born in 1890.

From the cemetery we drove to the house where Gigi grew up. It was a big farm with a long driveway. Then off to the red schoolhouse. Gigi skipped 1st grade and graduated from high school at age 16. She went to college back in the 1920s, not the normal thing to do for a woman.

K & C were really enjoying the history. K is still very into WWII. The cemetery was being readied for Memorial Day so they had flags flying with nameplates of every soldier buried in the cemetery. Gigi's uncle fought in WWI and has special things by his grave. Her brothers in law fought in WWII. Grandpap was the oldest of 8, 6 boys and a bunch were in WWII. Gigi said when they returned they were never the same. She talked to K a lot about living during the war and blackouts and rations and what it was like.

She is so incredible. K and I hope she lives until she's 120! For 96 she acts like she's in her 70s or 80s but she recently had high blood pressure and has been feeling her age more she says.

She had some fresh rhubarb from her garden for dinner so that's still going well. It was a little tart so we added strawberries and sugar and it was wonderful. If I could be more like her, I would be a better person.

Then we had to get on the road for NY. Spent the weekend there and drove straight back on Tuesday. The kids did great.