When 91 is just another number

I just got back from Florida. My sister, Deb, and I went to St. Augustine, then to Avon Park to visit my mom -- it was her birthday. Do you know that the word nonagenerian means? It means someone whose age is in the 90s. Yep, Mom is 91 years old.

My age is a closely guarded secret, but most people who are geezers like me in my age bracket don't have a mom, so I consider myself pretty lucky.

Mom still lives at home in Illinois except for the three winter months that she snowbirds in Florida. She still drives (although not at night and generally not on an Interstate highway). It must be a blessing to be 91 and be independent.

I was talking to Mom and she said she has some of her savings in bonds. She has their maturity dates staggered and some are due in 2024. Now there's an optimist, but that's Mom, and I'm obviously proud of her.

I asked her what is the biggest change she's seen in 91 years. I thought she'd say the Internet or cell phones or something like that. She said it was airplanes. When she was a kid, they were new and when one flew over, she told me that everybody would run outside and gawk at them.