HAPPY BIRTHDAY

We celebrated family birthdays on Saturday. My daughters birthday is the day before mine, mine was Saturday, and granddaughter #1 has a birthday this coming Thursday. I got a beautiful sweatshirt and t-shirt from my daughter. She and the granddaughters got me a new bathroom rug. They never liked the one I had. Always felt like it was going to slip with me on it. It was a possibility that I might fall as it had nothing gripping on the back. I still liked the rug, but I guess I should be careful. The grandkids got me a puzzle for our puzzle room.

Many friends sent cards and small gifts. Maria got me a gift certificate from Barnes and Noble. I love books. Liz brought me a plastic chicken with three pieces of homemade fudge. Those were delicious. I also got a chocolate covered marshmallow bunny and another chocolate bunny with crushed nuts inside. None of those things were good for me, but they were sure fun.

Alice bought me a small bag of “Silverdale Seagull Poop.” It has a very nice drawing of a local seagull sitting on a post sticking out of the sea. Some friends of his are flying in the area. With it came a card with bears sitting around a tree stump table drinking coffee with a moose and a jar of jellybeans on the table. The bear making the coffee is called the Bearista. Inside said, “Just wanted to espresso my happiest birthday wishes.” And further day was, “celebrate your birthday with a balance mean…caffeine in one hand and sugar in the other. I still smile about that one. The actual contents were Huckleberry jellybeans.

My other favorite card

came from Gail. “Your birthday is a good time to say, I could never find another friend like you.” And on the inside, “Heck, most of the time I can’t find my cell phone or car keys.” My sentiments exactly!

I had pretty well given up on birthdays a few years back. You do reach a point where it no longer even feels like a milestone. It’s just another day. Once my daughter was born we celebrated her birthday. Mine was just sort of squeezed in. Don’t get me wrong. I wanted it that way. It’s another one of those Hallmark holidays designed to sell cards. OK, it is a little more important than that. But I still feel like it is the best deal for kids. Enough. I don’t want to rile anyone up who loves having birthdays. You can’t stop them. Wait, yes you can, but it is better to let them end on their own.

I cooked Salmon rollups for lunch and bought everyone’s favorite birthday cake from Dairy Queen. Since I got there before my family did, I also hide some plastic candy filled eggs for an egg hunt for the grandkids. They still enjoy those kinds of activities. I love watching them. Guess I have really become a grandpa.