So. It's not today, but Sunday! and, since 2005, I have not really felt like celebrating, but maybe this year I will revert to my former self like a jellyfish. It started off like this:
Fred: what do you want to do for your birthday?
Me: nnnnnnnnn hhhhhhhhhhh
Fred: What do you want to do for your birthday? do you want to go to the Deer Path Inn with the family for brunch?
Me: No. I don't want to drive that far just to have brunch and that place is not really my thing.
Fred: (starting to get upset) Ok, can you let me know what you want to do?
Me: I'll think about it and get back to you.
This was over several days. And, I knew that it would start off with breakfast in bed, because Ruby loves to do that/participate in that. So, I told her I'd like fruit salad and a piece of toast with fake butter and coffee and maybe juice. Nothing fancy.
Then, I thought: I'd like to do something that Harry could do also, so that meant NO to a hike in the dunes, but I thought I'd like to go ice skating and he can do that, they have some seat-y things he can get pushed in. Then lunch, I don't really care, Fred suggested pizza but there is a new restaurant nearby, maybe there. THEN, WE WILL ALL GO SEE BLACK PANTHER!!!!!!!!! And I am super excited about that. So, maybe the curse that my father put on my birthday has been broken and I'm free to enjoy it unabashedly.
I've already written out the things I've accomplished last year and my goals for this year, but maybe I'll do it again without looking at what I wrote and see if it's the same. (probably will be, as I've read over it a few times.) Nothing earth-shattering, really. All seem very doable.
Dinner, who cares. Fred wanted a formal dinner (or brunch) here but then Harry doesn't really sit at the table well, so I'd rather just be casual. Food not really important to me, maybe because his whole family has very strong food choices and if they like what I like, it's a very big deal.
It's been a good few days, I can't say a week, since I just wrote the other blog post, but good. I just got back from a trek to Munster for an estate sale, mostly great stuff, one thing I probably shouldn't have bought, but a LOT of pieces of fabric, mostly wool. The lady had been a nurse and I bought the most beautiful white nurse's dress, it's a shirt dress, a uniform but it's great.
I did want to buy the Victrola and all the records, but it was kind of a lot of money. I had never worked one before but figured it out. You have to wind the crank a few times, start the wheel spinning with your hand, then put the needle down. At first the record was playing really slowly, and I just LOVED the way the song sounded. Another lady came over and she got me out of my listening stupor to crank it some more and then it got up to speed. But it was really amazing. With all the money I have outlaid for my recordings, I really cannot afford it and that is a shame. Plus, there was a very nice sounding upright piano that I touched, and started some musical thread. Not expensive, but since we have a piano in the dining room, seems a bit extravagant, although I'd love one back here in the studio, then I could get rid of the keyboard my father bought me years ago that was too much for me--too many controls when I just wanted the most basic keyboard.
Did a bit of shopping, Whole Foods for fruit for the fruit salad, found a cute donut store out there, got some for the birthday (Ruby will be happy.) I ate the toasted coconut one while driving around. Yum. Left some crumbs for the mouse who lives in the car, not intentionally, but you know what I mean.
Stopped by my friend Carey's shop, she's redone it. Lots more taxidermy, very beautiful. Her shop seems to be always bustling, which is encouraging, but she's really a very gifted shop keeper.
well, much more I want to say. Have to leave in 4 minutes to show the barn to someone who wants to have an 80th birthday party for their mother in a few months.
BUT, Ruby did write me the sweetest poem for her English class. She wrote that I'm very rarely mad (really?) and that I find everything funny and care for everything (she had said "everyone" but she wrote everything). That was all she had yesterday but she needed 5 more lines, so she wrote that I liked to design, love music, like to cook, blah blah blah.
alright. I'm loving making my website better. I'll keep working on it.
maybe more later, maybe not.xoxo