Every Picture Tells a Story

Don’t it?

I’m listening to Rod Stewart’s cd of the same name right now. It was a birthday gift, along with Gasoline Alley, Dan Fogelberg’s The Innocent Age, and a FunkoPop Dobby—actually holding a teeny, tiny sock! This past weekend, I celebrated my birthday with all my kids (three sons and two significant others). Four of us started out with dinner at Red Robin and then came home, where the other two met us.

Derek made a dee-licious Black Magic cake (coffee/chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream icing), which we consumed in small quantities after how much we stuffed ourselves with our meal. Gifts followed 🙂

The above gifts (or below, if you’re looking at the photo) were given to me by my eldest son. Listening to the music as I write, I can’t help but smile. Oddly, except for the occasional play on the radio, I haven’t heard these selections in years. Each song brings so much back to me. Not memories, per se, but feelings. Happy ones.

A gift that will keep on giving. Thank you so much, Derek!

The next son in line and his wife gave me the below mini-circular saw. It was something I specifically wanted for a while for crafting. It’s on a four-by-four-inch base with two-inch circular blades. So freaking cool!

Nevertheless, SHARP BLADES, I was reminded repeatedly by all of them. Don’t lose a finger, they said. Maybe wait until you’re feeling better before the first use (I was suffering a recurrence of the issues I had after the accident—it happens, now and then–definitely not a time for messing with sharp instruments, so yeah, yeah, I get it).

They then continued to expound for a while longer on the dangers, quite as if I were a two-year-old child and not the sixty-plus-year-old woman who had raised (three of) them and survived far more than just the occasional mishap with a sharp blade, lol. Of course, I would like to maintain all my fingers status quo. So, okay. USE CARE. Obviously.

This gift was perfect, too. Don’t let all my complaining about their warnings mislead you. It will make my crafting life much easier, believe me, and I am thrilled with it. Thank you so much, Mikey and Charisse!

PS: If I lose a finger, I promise to hide it and not let any of you know. 😊

My youngest son and his officially soon-to-be-wife (they have lived together far longer than I did with any, um, better halves) treated me to a wonderful day this past week attending Hamilton at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. I had seen it on TV, but this was so much–MORE. I wept at points, cheered at others, clapped until my hands were stinging. (With all my fingers. It is my plan to keep them.)

As for Hamilton, I will be expounding upon the experience in detail in a future blog. Suffice it to say, however, the show was as wonderful as promised and, yes, another fabulous gift. Thank you so much again, Mark and Lauren!

To be honest, they could all have shown up empty-handed (except for the cake, maybe) and my birthday celebration would have been just as wonderful, just as perfect, just as memorable, just as special, made me just as happy. Because what means the most to me is that we still get together to celebrate it.

A loving, funny, fabulous family. The greatest gift of all.