2004-07-07 - 11:30 a.m.

In a grand planning kind of way, I should have expected it. My grandmother's memorial service, which I would *really* like to attend, seems likely to be held on the first weekend of Pennsic. My Pennsic plans are already screwy thanks to a professional/work conference in the middle, so this just makes things more exciting. And, of course, my grandmother and that side of the family live in Oregon, so that's two cross-country flights, with a three-hour time change, right before I head off to Minneapolis, and then to Pennsic. Whine, whine, whine. I know it is terribly uncharitable of me to whine about this, but it's not like there's any urgency to the memorial - she's already been cremated. And my sister & I are the only ones coming from any significant distance....

For those of you who may have confused my grandmothers (I have three), this is my maternal (blood) grandmother. She has been ill and in a "care facility" with dementia and various things for about a decade. Earlier this year she suffered a circulatory blockage in her leg, and on my birthday they had to amputate her leg at the knee. The last couple times I've seen her, she hasn't really known who I (or anyone) was. Her death comes almost as a relief - a relief from pain and confusion for her, and a relief from sorrow and worry for those who survive her. My mother has written a pretty good obituary - I'll link to it here once it's published.

My paternal (blood) grandmother is the one who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's and whose care we are currently fussing about and coordinating. She has been in good shape physically, and has come up to visit a few times recently (including for our wedding) - she lives in Florida and I'll be seeing her at the end of my trip to Miami next week. Whee!

(Note that all of my grandfathers are long deceased. Does that say something? Hmmm.)

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