IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!

Today's temperature was:  82 degrees

Today's humidity was 45%

Sunny with a nice breeze (at least at The Farm.)

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Just got back in from going out and howling at the moon--hope the neighbors didn't mind--don't really care if they did.

My Dear Friends--today was the best birthday I have had in many years.  I just can't stop smiling and I know I won't be able to sleep until around 2:00.

Karen called a week ago and asked if I wanted to go to the Day Spa and have a mani-pedi and a massage.  I have never had a mani-pedi.  Then she said, "Or I could call Aunt Susie and see if we could get together at The Farm."

"Yeah!!!  That's what I want," I said.

She hung up the phone--it rang--it was my sister calling her.  "Hey, what ya doing for your Mom's birthday?  I wanted to have you all come here for lunch."  Great minds think alike?

Karen picked me up at 10:45 and surprise--grand daughter Madeleine was with her!!  Maddie had been at an intensive ballet "camp" all week--she was exhausted and both her big toes were bruised and the nails black, (dancing en pointe ruins a dancer's feet), but she wanted to be with me today. Aw-ww!

We got to the farm about 35 minutes later and looked at the new stuff Susan has done.  Her granite counter-tops are in and...in her new family room, she has added a lot of stuff from the attic.  Like our great great grandmother's spinning wheel, our little great grandmother's platform rocker, our grandma's quilt rack and some neat little tables and baskets.

The desk my great grandpa built is on the right.

A nice seating area in the kitchen--you can see

the old dining room to the left.

Susan had to fight with the contractor for this window.

He kept saying, "But it is a living room window,"

Susan said, "I don't want a narrow kitchen window with

panes--I want a panoramic view."  She can see my

son's house from this window.  Cool!!

As Susan was showing Karen around, I noticed Maddie was gone.  I went looking.  She was in the old living room, tears streaming down her face.  "A lot of changes..huh?"  I asked.

She nodded.  "It's nice, but...I miss great grandpa and grandma not being here."

"I know Honey.  That is one thing in life that never changes--change.  It has been kind of hard for me to see the changes--the little house, where my Daddy, my grandpa and my great grandpa were born--being torn down. I remember the way this house was, back when I was a little girl--I loved it that way...but...Aunt Susan and Uncle Chuck needed to make it more modern for them to live in, so........."

"I know, Gramma...I just miss people...I just miss the way it used to be."

"I know, Sweetheart...so do I."  Then she hugged me.  It is kind of nice to know that one day, when I'm gone---this sweet young women will tear up when she thinks of me.

Then,in walks Pammie with her famous baked beans and I no more get a hug from her, when I hear a male voice and it is my son Mark and his significant other, Cindy.  WOW--surprises left and right.

Then BIL Chuck and Mark were out grilling in the new garage, then it was time for lunch--with Karen's famous potato salad and Pammies beans and Susan's bread and butter pickles and hot dogs and hamburgers--a picnic--with my favorite foods. :-)

Then Susan said, "C'Mon--croquet anyone?"

Chuck, setting up the croquet course

Chuck explaining the game while Maddie and I hang out

I haven't played croquet in probably 50 years--we use to always play at family picnics.  Susan and Chuck don't drive each other off the course, if either one of them hits another person's ball--not our rules, LOL.  I hit Karen's and gave her a good drive off toward the driveway--then Pammie hit me and sent me down towards the road.  Susan says, "My Mother taught me not to do that.  We just moved our ball a mallet head away and took two turns."

I said, "It becomes more and more apparent that we were raised by different parents because when Mother, Daddy and I played--it was cut-throat!"  and of course, we were raised by different parents--she being born 13 years after me and they were older.  I grew up with the two younger parents who still kidded around like they were teenagers.

Then it was time for a family shot and Mark didn't

even moan--he hates getting his picture taken.

This would be: me, Mark, his GF Cindy, 

Pammie sitting down and Karen. 

Then we had to get one of my 'lil sis and me.

(Look how short her legs are compared to mine) LOL

The kids played another game of croquet, while we sat and watched and then someone--I think Pammie--yelled "CAKE" and we all headed back into the house.

They all sang Happy Birthday to me, made me

tear up and of course, Mark and Pam sang 

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you.

You look like a monkey

and you smell like one too."

I sat the cake a bit back from me and blew them all out.

"No emphysema in these old lungs!" I proclaimed.

 I did not make a wish because, Dear Friends, I have all that I want or need!!
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Of course, you noticed, someone is missing.  Daughter, Jennifer and her four kids.  Pammie said that a friend of Jen's had a miscarriage and Jen had taken her friend's other three kids and was keeping them for the day and making the family supper.  Okay....that may or may not be true--Pammie said it was.

The thing of it is--I actually felt very comfortable with my three kids--those are the kids that were born in four years time--we grew up together, played together and it felt okay.  Actually, when we were getting ready to come home, Susan said, "You know...I kind of liked it without the little kids running around, yelling and crying.  It was nice just the way it was today."

I could not agree more.

So here I am--having completed 74 years of life and tomorrow, I will start on the last quarter century of my life--that is if I live to be 100 and...I plan on doing that.

Thank you all for your wishes--they mean the world to me.  Wish you all could have been there today at The Farm--we would have had quite a croquet game and it would have been nice.  Also, you all would have enjoyed exploring the attic--more of those silly pictures will be posted later.  You'd love to see all the antiques and stuff.  

It was a wonderful day!!!

How in the heck did I get so old so quick!!!!  YIKES!!

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Oh I forgot to mention one thing--made me so happy.  Son Mark doesn't often attend family get together's--the last couple of years.  He told me last summer it was because of the guy who lives with Pam.  Mark said, "I just can't stand him, Mom.  I'm afraid if I am around him, I just might beat the son of a bitch up! I don't like my sister living with that piece of s**t"  (Mark is a little crude in his talk since he worked in the shop for many years.)  Well, apparently he just heard that the guy is moving out and when he walked in today and saw Pam, he went over to her and they just hugged and hugged.  These two have been so close all their lives---until the last few years. Now I think, they will be again.  BIG SMILE!!!