101-Year-Old Grand Junction Woman Too Busy To Bake Her Birthday Cake

Elsie Willson fully intended to bake a cake for her 101st birthday this month (March). But, between the phone calls, deliveries and guests, including me, she was too busy to find time to bake.

Elsie is an extraordinary woman and I can say that with complete authority because she's my grandmother.

But she's extraordinary in other ways, too. First, anyone who can live that long is special. For my grandmother to do so and not be in a nursing home or assisted living center is amazing.

Grandma (Elsie) is still mobile, but at 101-years-old she needs assistance with certain things. What she can't do by herself is now done with the help of family and friends. There's a lesson in that and I think you can figure out what it is.

She'll be the first to admit the eyes, ears and body aren't what they used to be, but her mind is sharp thanks to her lifelong love of reading. She also challenges the television contestants on Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, two games I could never expect to play with her and win.

As for the birthday cake, it was baked by my Aunt Sue using grandma's prune cake recipe. It was absolutely delicious.

As they were saying goodbye, grandma told one of her great-granddaughters to be good, to which her great-granddaughter replied "you be good too, grandma."

Grandma's comeback was both classic and comical, (at this age) " I can't be anything but."