we all gathered around the table in the tiny kitchen. three generations there to celebrate your birthday. you are one of only two surviving siblings out of nine. you are almost the longest living, only to be surpassed by your sister mary when she passed away at 97. although you and nana moved out of your home of almost 60 years a couple of years ago, you two are still living on your own, with only a little help from your daughter and son-in-law. to have seen what you have seen over the years. to have watched the world change. the tragedies, the successes. to have lived with and loved someone for as long as you have lived with and loved your wife. these are things i can only imagine and aspire to. your jokes always make me laugh. i love how you would always entertain us with a tune on the banjo or mandolin and once in a while the fiddle when i was just little. you were always the first to break into a little soft-shoe to entertain the crowds. a friendly smile and the sparkle in your blue eys would make the ladies all swoon. even today you still have a pretty large female following. i am honoured and blessed to be your grand daughter. i am so lucky to have had you in my life for [almost] 30 years. you have taught me kindness and to laugh and to appreciate people in all they do. you truly are an inspiration.thank you poppop for all that you have given me over the years. i love you so much and hope you have a wonderful 93rd year!****here are a couple more shots from last night's birthday dinner... my sister debbie and her husband andrew who are these people?? my sister might officially be out of the will as far as my grandmother is concerned... she and andrew got poppop a tambourine. my grandfather really likes noisy things. haha! he likes to play the spoons and he also has quite the collection of musical magnets (much to our chagrin, albeit loving chagrin *grin*). so now poppop can keep time with a myriad of jaunty tunes with the spoons in one hand and the tambourine in the other. [by the way... 40 pieces of cardboard were used to silence the tambourine so that he wouldn't know what it was until he opened the box up!] of course my nana might be off the hook if he can't figure out how to use it. haha. such a funny man my poppop is. i love him.and lastly, i leave you with a photo of a photo of my grandparents on their wedding day july 12, 1941. my grandmother is the one sitting and my grandfather is standing to her right. next to him is his brother eddie and his wife pat.