Visited with two of my grandmothers today. My great-grandmother recently fell, and had to have rods put in her hip. Modern medicine is so impressive. That’s just three tiny incisions. She’s a nonagenarian and no surgery is a small thing, though. (She’s a tough lady. She had open-heart surgery three or four years ago and bounced right back.)

Today she was sitting in a chair, for hours she said. She walked 15 feet in therapy yesterday. Told you she’s tough.

We had a long talk about the Bible, her example to the family and how much getting rods in the hip hurt. But she’s made of stern stuff.

Spent the evening with another grandmother, who recently had a different kind of leg surgery. Now as tough as my great-grandmother is, this grandmother is perhaps the strongest lady I know. She’s moving around great and in good spirits. And that’s the key.

Me, I groan getting out of the car.

We had dinner from my aunt’s five-star restaurant. It doesn’t hurt that there’s only 350 people and one other restaurant in that town, but it is true. I looked them up on all of the online review spots. You can’t go wrong at Fish Creel if you want catfish or shrimp.

As we were leaving we saw one of those third cousins twice removed who I’ve apparently once or twice before. Also, while playfully discussing the hereditary stubborn gene, I learned a family name I’ve never heard before. I’ll have to look that branch up one day.

Even when you know where you come from, you still find new places that you’ve been.