Happy Birthday To My One And Only Sister

Today is my big sister's birthday. I wish I could be with her today, but she lives on the west coast and I live in the middle.

We were both born in the early 1940s so our memories of the era are shared. We have a lot in common, but in retrospect, we are quite different people and personalities. She was always the dominant, big sister, and I was the one who got chased around the house and teased with all sorts of bugs and worms that she dug up or found. (I still have a life-long neurotic fear of bugs and worms.) My sister is the master gardener, but I was the one who was always asked to do her English homework. She could work on anything mechanical and I loved to go to dances and parties. She still can do anything mechanical and can build lots of things. I am the memory-keeper of the family because I love genealogy and history.

We both love to read, but her attention span is about five seconds long. She multitasks so ferociously that I get a headache just thinking about all the things she takes on at the same time. I would rather work on one project until it's done to perfection then go on to something else. Sister knows how to decorate and I live in a jumbled house filled with memories.

She loves to travel and get together with lots of family. I love to stay home and be with just a few at a time. She likes only a few pets, and I will adopt every cat that comes to my house. No, I'm N.O.T. telling how many cats I'm feeding each day.

The one thing in common we share is our love and friendship. We talk one or more times each day. If I couldn't talk with her each day, I don't know what I would do with myself. She's my anchor.

My wish for her on her birthday is much love and happiness.

This and that

Grandma was so bad, taking baby boy into the pool for his very first swim. Grandpa is looking on and daughter was anxiously watching poolside to ensure baby was safe. (What could be safer than a baby in a grandma's arms?) Baby boy is now two months old and is growing by leaps and bounds. He's a very sweet baby and we love him very much just like we love our granddaughters.

Daughter + 3 spent last Wednesday through Saturday morning at our house. A very good time was had by all. We swam, we baked cookies, we made lasagna, we ate, we watched movies, we played games, we worked puzzles, we talked, we laughed, we watched videos of the kids at play, and we generally had a very good time. Thank you daughter and grandchildren for coming to visit. We enjoyed spending time with you.

On a sad note, Sandy and her gang were unable to visit this time as planned because nephew Brian was hospitalized for several days. We are very happy that he's feeling much better and is now at home recuperating. We hope to see them all very soon. We missed them so much.

Husband and I have been busy with our solar heater project. Phase II looks like this:

We installed edging and mulch consisting of shredded tires dyed red (I guess to look like cypress mulch). We are short several bags and will be going back this afternoon to get the rest of what we need. Did I mention previously that this project was turning into a money pit? I can see the end of Phase II is near but I fear Phase III will really be expensive. We plan to build a shelf for storage and enclose the whole thing with lattice panels. Hopefully we will have this completed very shortly so we can go on to other outdoor projects.


We are off tomorrow to attend Dancer Girl's sixth birthday party. Daughter is having the party at her local pizza joint which boasts a play room for the kiddies. Should be a lot of fun for everyone.

Happy birthday, Dancer Girl

Happy birthday, Alipurr

Alipurr, your dad and I send you our very best wishes on your 36th birthday. You are a wonderful daughter and we love you very much. You received the very best birthday present in the world this year, a new baby boy. Here is a little look down memory lane to when you were growing up.

Newborn, birth day, June 5, 1971

One year old, 1972

Three years old, 1974

Six years old, riding Pokey Dennis, 1977

24 years old, graduating university magna cum laude, 1995

25 years old, wedding day, March 9, 1996

36 years old, birth day, June 2, 2007

Alipurr, you've made us proud over the years and have provided us with a lot of love and joy. We know this has to be the best birthday of your life. We love you very much.

Holy cow, where did the time go?

When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now,
Will you still be sending me a Valentine, birthday greetings, bottle of wine?
If I'd been out 'till quarter to three, would you lock the door?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four (sixty-five)?

Hmm------mmm---mmmh.

You'll be older, too. Aaah, and if you say the word, I could stay with you.
I could be handy, mending a fuse, when your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside, Sunday mornings, go for a ride.
Doing the garden, digging the weeds, who could ask for more?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four (sixty-five)?

Every summer we can rent a cottage in the Isle of Wight if it's not too dear.
We shall scrimp and save.
Ah, grandchildren on your knee, Vera, Chuck, and Dave.
Send me a postcard, drop me a line stating point of view.
Indicate precisely what you mean to say, yours sincerely wasting away.
Give me your answer, fill in a form, mine forever more.
Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty- four (sixty-five)?

by John Lennon/Paul McCartney

Actually, this song is a little behind the times because I passed 64 last year on April 10. Last year on this date I also had a total knee replacement (a very happy birthday present to me).


I guess having arthritis and joint replacements are signs of the times, but I would rather not have to replace all my joints because of wear and tear.

Getting old is for the birds. You have to sit on the side of the bed and rest just to get up in the morning. You have to take too many pills just before bedtime, and diuretics cause you to visit the bathroom too many times to count. You have to wear pads or diapers because of accidental leaks. When you go on a road trip, you don't consult a map, you map out where all the bathrooms are along the route. You have to count calories so you don't gain weight. You have impaired vision so you have to turn on too many lights to see. You have ringing in your ears and can't hear as well so you have to turn up the television a little louder. Your hips have spread (along with everything else on your body) so you have to buy larger clothing. You have to stop eating all those things that upset your stomach and give you acid reflux, belching, and flatulence. You have more and more "senior" moments (or brain farts) and can't even remember your husband's/wife's/children's/grandchildren's names, or you start to go somewhere and can't remember where you are going to or why. You go out to lunch and take home half the food to eat at dinner.

The worst, however, is looking as old as you feel. You may think like a young person, but somewhere along the way your body has betrayed you. You know you're getting old when everybody starts looking like babies or you think they are too stupid for words. How many of you watch Jeopardy or Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and you yell at the television (contestants) because you know all the answers and these little smartalecs who got advanced degrees at some fancy university can't even answer the questions?

You know you are getting old when you have Medicare as your primary insurance. You know you are getting old when you actively look for senior discounts. You know you're getting old when you have to go to the early matinee at the movies because if you're out past 6:00 p.m. you're afraid you'll fall asleep at the wheel driving home. You know you're getting old when you want to go to bed when it gets dark outside.

Finally, you know you're getting old when getting cozy with the hubby is too much trouble and you would rather sleep alone because he snores, tosses and turns all night, or hogs the bed.

I figure I'm going to live another 25+ years (all the women in my family are long-lived) so I hope things don't get any worse for me than this. Maybe if I eat right, get plenty of rest, exercise regularly, keep my blood pressure and cholesterol low, laugh a lot, and think positively, I will enjoy the remaining years of my life. Most of all, I would hate to lose my sense of humor because getting old is really for the birds.

You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there.
- George Burns

Holy cow, the wheel of life just clicked another notch.