End of an Era

You never like to think of your grandfather as frail or weak. At least, I never liked to think of him that way.

The man's in his 90's and he's always had spunk. He kept driving long after he should have, kept living on his own and making his daily foray into the bustling burg (not) to get groceries. He always drank RC cola and loved sweets, and spent hours on end in his easy chair watching wrestling matches.

No more.

Granddaddy either has Alzheimer's or something like it. At 93, you can't really spend too much time feeling bad about something like that, but nonetheless... it's not really something to celebrate. He's put on weight, stopped shaving, turned off the TV, and quit drinking RC Cola. He refuses to eat anything but cornbread and milk. The kicker - he didn't know where he was. I asked him whether he wanted me to go to the store and get him some RC, and he said, in typical Granddaddy style, "Nah. I used to drink that stuff up-to the house but they don't keep any around here."

Around here? We were at his house. True, my aunt is living with him now, but it's his home of nearly 10 years.

I really am grateful he's been as independent and strong as he has for as long as he has. As with everything else... life goes on, and it would be stranger if it didn't.