Attention: This Blog Post contains cursing by a 93-year-old lady, if you have a problem with this, you might be better off looking at something else 
. Don’t email me to complain, don’t visit my blog anymore because I might post things like this again and for sure do not let your kids read this!
Last weekend my sweet great-aunt Margot had her birthday. It was the first one in her new home. As some of you know it was a hard summer for her having a heart attack and stroke and I had to move her into an elderly home as there is no way she can live alone anymore. She really adjusted well, she made a lot of new friends, she goes to Bingo and Quiz Hour (where she likes to prompt and spoil the game- LOL), she has rosy cheeks and gained quite some weight- which is good!. She has very light moments, and some not so light moments- but the best thing is she didn’t loose her optimistic happy and friendly mood and the nurses told me they love her and the other inhabitants too and that she is lifting the spirit in the home.
(here she is (who has been an avid photographer all her life) right before stating that whatever I have in my hand (iPhone) to take a “photo” looks a bit pathetic (insert huge laughter of all younger people at table and silent approving nodding by older people at table)
For a couple of months my sweet aunt gets visits by a nice mid-aged lady who is a volunteer for an organization to visit older people. I think it is wonderful that there are people doing this. She is good minded and nice but unfortunately a person who likes to control. The last months I had several complaints by the nurses, she is always telling them they do things wrong and she is constantly telling me the way I do things are not right either. She also thinks she knows my aunt very well…which makes me sometimes crazy too. It is very hair flipping and it honestly starts to push me over the edge sometimes. Just to give you an example: my aunt is changing her clothes about 7 times a day…she just does, when she is alone in her room she wanders to her wardrobe and starts going through all stuff. But of course she is not able to put everything back orderly in her wardrobe the way it should be. So the visiting lady calls me and goes into this long tirade about how bad the nursing home is in keeping the wardrobe orderly and that I have to take care of this. Then the nurse calls and complaints that this lady was scolding them for not being tidy enough. I feel like a little punchball.
But my aunt likes her, and it is about my aunt and not all of the others and I am happy that there is someone who visits her regularly given the fact she lives far away from me and so I try everything to please them all.
I organized aunt Margot’s birthday party before I left for North America.When I talked to my aunt about it, she requested champagne to give a toast. And so I got two bottles for 16 people – because it’s her birthday party. So we sit at the table and my aunt raises her glass and everyone cheers, and after an hour she asks me to pour a second glass. I am thinking shortly about it and then think to myself- two small glasses are ok. But the visiting lady gives me the evil eye and says to my aunt that she should be careful with her diabetes (which is true) and that she thinks she shouldn’t drink this glass anymore. By this time everyone else is getting calm in the room and looks at my aunt who has already raised the glass and she looks at the visiting lady and says with a very firm voice
“I am 93 and I have my birthday today…I don’t give a flying shit about my diabetes today!”
Cheers, Aunt Margot!!! I hope you give a flying something on many more birthdays ! I love you! You can imagine we all rolled under the table…even visiting lady laughed, she left shortly after though.
And isn’t it true?…if you are in that age…you should be still able to decide on certain things and also when to give a flying something…!
Wishing you a wonderful day
huge hugs
nat
Debi Crouse
| #
Aunt Margot is incredible! She doesn’t look her age and I am sure part of what got her to the ripe old age of 93 is then”salty” side of her. Happy B’Day Aunt Margot!
Reply
Jenny Palmer
| #
Hi Nat
I wouldn’t worry about the lady who visits your Aunt.
She has worked her out.
Relax I know it’s hard my husbands aunt had to go into a nursing home last year she is 94 and tells them all where to get off
your aunt reminds me always regardless of age or health be yourself
have a great day
Jenny
waves from Tassie
Reply
Cynthia
| #
I hope I am as fiesty as your Aunt Margot when I get to be that age, bless her!
Reply
mjmarmo
| #
LOVE THIS!!! She is so right! I am glad she enjoyed herself!
Reply
Audrey Mislan
| #
This is so funny!!!. Aunt Margot doesn’t look 93–she looks about 80 or so. And yes, its’ here birthday–she should be able to do as she damn well pleases
Reply
acs004
| #
BTW – she looks great – doesnt even look close to 93. And so pretty – bet she turned some boys heads back in the day!!!
Reply
Nathalie Kalbach
| #
LOL I think she did – she still does…the guys in the elderly home flirt with her, but she just ignores, it is funny.
Reply
Andrene
| #
Happy Birthday and many more, Aunt Margot….you go girl :)
Reply
Vicki Dunn Chrisman
| #
Happy Birthday Aunt Margot!!! I dont even know you and I love you! You do or say anything you want! If I make it to that age, I sure will. It’s still YOUR life!
Reply
Riikka
| #
Cheers indeed! <3
Reply
MichaelaBM
| #
Happy birthday Aunt Margot. She just made me smile so much!
Reply
Nurse Ratchet
| #
Imagine Aunt Margot’s journey and what she must have experienced….and kept to herself without Facebook to share her thoughts with so readily?? I miss my Mum and my Aunt Molly..who by the way drove a car and wore “trousers ” before it was fashionable.. And taught me how to smoke ( it didn’t taken,thankfully!!). It was Aunt Molly’s beautiful young face I chose to recreate in Nat’s Portrait of a Lady class. So at Christmas dinner our toast always begins by toasting our loved ones who are with us in our hearts!! Cherish the ladies and gentlemen still with you and give them a hug from someone who wishes she could one last time!! Thanks Nat for sharing such a fun story!,
Reply
Nathalie Kalbach
| #
What a wonderful tradition Dianne to toast at the Christmas dinner- I really love that. thanks for sharing your story about aunt Molly- she must have been an amazing lady! Huge hugs! Nat
Reply
rains
| #
You go Margot! I love spirit and optimism in older women especially. I hope I still have some by then. We had two older women whom we were very close to (kids and I) whom we lost this past year – one was 106! I so miss both of them. It’s great that you have such a wonderful aunt in your life and that you can appreciate her.
Reply
Nathalie Kalbach
| #
I am sorry for your loss! Wow- 106 years old- can you imagine all the things she saw in her life, amazing! hugs Nat
Reply
Kelly Belton
| #
Aunt Margot is my hero! I love when you share her stories Nat, it is such a reminder about the importance of being who you are and living what you know! Cheers to Aunt Margot!
Reply
Nathalie Kalbach
| #
Love ya Kelly! You are right, we live here and now :) huge hugs! Nat
Reply
Lisa Flaherty
| #
Bahaha! Wonderful!! Happy Birthday, Aunt Margot!! She may not be able to live on her own, but it sounds like she can still take care of herself!! :)
Reply
Valerie Greek
| #
It’s so hard to remember sometimes that elderly people, were “people”, before they were elderly. They had lives, and loves and personalities we should continue to cherish. I desperately hope I can keep your aunt’s attitude for many more years myself! Bravo to Tante Margot!
Reply
Harriet Garrison
| #
LMAO!!! Cheers!! I love your Aunt Margot !!! What a beautiful soul!! <3 you too, you tell such wonderful stories as well as being a talented artist!! I shall be the same way at 93……….:-}
Reply
Sue Clarke
| #
Cheers to Aunt Margot and she should be doing whatever she wants at this age. Just my humble opinion and BTW you really should try to use profanity more in your blog posts. I may not visit anymore if you don’t swear more Nat;-)
Reply
Nathalie Kalbach
| #
LOL- Sue…you better know me in person then ;) Too dangerous to use profanity on the blog- you know ;)
Reply
Dara Lynn
| #
My grandmother is in an assisted living center and we have encountered the same “people” who just like running the show….I ran her off! lol Love this post!!!!! Much love to your family Nat!
Reply
Sandy
| #
Good for your aunt! She should have one day to forget about her diabetes. I like that she was brave enough to do that.
Reply
Susan M. Brown {sbartist}
| #
Cheers to your Aunt Margot! Its so wonderful that she is full of spunk and zest for the finer things in life. Thanks for sharing! My husbands grandmother at 92 would insist on her shot and a beer at lunchtime every day as it was her afternoon treat…
Reply
Nathalie Kalbach
| #
LOL- Susan was your husband’s grandmother german? Because of the beer- that is too funny. Huge hugs
Nat
Reply
Karen
| #
You go, Aunt Margot! My prayer is that we all be that spunky at 93 and have a caring niece too!
Reply
Martha Richardson
| #
Happy Birthday Aunt Margot…I say have a 3rd glass of champagne if you like…it’s you birthday!
Reply
Stephanie
| #
You made my Day! Liebe Nat, ich liebe deine Geschichte und Deine Sicht auf diese Dinge! Es ist sicher nicht leicht für Dich, lieben Dank für die Ehrlichkeit und diesen tollen Abschluss. Ja, ich werde heute auch ein Gläschen auf Deine liebe optimistische Tante trinken, man sollte jeden Tag feiern als sei es der letzte! LG Steph
Reply
Nathalie Kalbach
| #
Liebe Steph, danke für Deine lieben Worte! Ich freue mich sehr- bin ein großer Fan Deiner Werke, auch wenn ich eine Nulpe beim Kommentieren bin! Sei gedrückt, Nat
Reply
Katrina
| #
Your Aunt sounds wonderful, I’m with her all the way!!! I know how you feel too, I have a very elderly uncle in his late 80s with people who go in to see him and they do the same, had a call to say he wasn’t taking some of his tablets, turned out his Dr has stopped them! I knew my uncle knew what he was doing, he was a medic, but other people always think they know best.
Reply
Liz
| #
Happy belated birthday to your aunty! And really… at this age… she should enjoy all her moments and not give a flying ….
Reply