Sunday, April 21, 2013

vignettes, continued

Such a day! And yes, I am now 60 so I officially feel like middle age is behind me and I have joined the ranks of seniors. (For example: in many countries of Europe, I can start reaping the benefits of senior discounts!)

Such a day. I finished last night in dance mode...


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(In answer to a reader question -- the kids presented me with a beautiful, totally modern and terrific sounding stereo turntable and speaker set. They carted over my huge record collection -- locked in storage for years and years -- added a few new albums for me to consider and set up a place for me to listen to the wonderful music of decades ago. Much of it is the wonderful rock stuff I grew up on, but there is also a significant set of classical stuff and, too, the funky quirky albums that I accumulated with the funky quirky taste that I have for music.)

I started the morning in a cooking mode. Spinach mushroom potato frittatas, chicken sausages, juice, fruit, olive oil cake with almonds and chocolate chips. There is no better way to begin your next decade than to have these guys at the table, appreciatively waiting for brunch to begin.


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And here's another shockingly wonderful thing about this day: the forecast was for cool temperatures and rain. It did start off cool -- we noted that as we visited possible places where a future wedding could be held...


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But in the afternoon (after the kids took off), the sun chased the clouds away and suddenly, the day seemed as all April 21sts have always seemed to me to be -- sunny and spring like.


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And so I could do what I so love to do in early spring: work in the yard.


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Ed is my assistant. I have many many perennials that need to be moved and we move them all. Time flies in the way that it does when you are famously engrossed in what you're doing.


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There's no dinner to prepare. Not today. (Well, just a simple salad.)


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Ed picks up take out Thai and we reach for a library DVD and maybe that's not a very typical way to eat a 60th birthday dinner, but for us it is warm and wonderful and the glow from the weekend stays with me and I know that once the movie's done, I'm likely to put on a record and return to a simple dance around the room.


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To commenters and emailers -- thank you for all your kind, kind birthday greetings. I've said this before and it was true then and it's true now: your words mean a lot. I'm super grateful for them all.