Great

"...every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest" Sonnet 18, William Shakespeare

Today is Maeve's great-Grandmother's birthday, and we're going over for a visit, bringing along some fried chicken.  My grandmother has loved fried chicken since my frugal grandfather used to buy it during the summer and bring it home with a watermelon.  He must have felt he was getting a lot of chicken for his money, but I think my grandma chiefly loved the break from cooking in their sunny kitchen.

Maeve's middle name was given to honor her great-Grandma, a woman who has been brave (or stubborn) enough to deal with her life in just the way she likes.  She has surrounded herself with books, PBS news shows, classical music, and birdseed for the neighborhood birds, and so she has spent the 15 years since my grandfather died unexpectedly.  

There are a hundred stories I could tell you about my grandma, but the one that says the most about her is this one: She has a very old fence surrounding her yard; it's rotting and falling down, and damaged in places.  She would like a new fence, it bothers her that the current one is in disrepair, but she doesn't want to replace it because they don't make fences like her old one anymore, and a new one would be ... different.  

Grandma is not a fan of change, although she has recently learned to Skype, and can send and read emails, which is pretty good.  And she doesn't mind all new things, she likes our current president pretty well, and is, of course, a huge fan of Maeve.  I will enjoy my grandmother today, on her birthday, and will treasure once more having my daughter share the attentions of her great-grandmother.