I had to head home for some appointments, and perhaps the timing couldn't have been better, given the wildfire smoke at the lake. They even cancelled parts of Gaylord's annual Alpenfest. Not that the smoke was better at home, it was just a better place to be at the time.
I promised myself that no matter how hot it got this summer, I would not complain. I would observe, such as "It is SO hot today!" but not complain. So far, so good. Things have "cooled" off to normal summer. After a sticky start, the fun of summer has started!
My pal Barb had a birthday this week, so friend Kate and I decided to throw her a birthday lunch! After all, we need a good reason to celebrate something and what could be better that honoring the day that a special friend was born?
I got the table set the night before, using a vintage tablecloth as a base and a smaller cloth over that as a topper. (Rita -- do you recognize the smaller cloth topper? You should!) As the salad was the main course, we dispensed with salad plates or bowls. Mom's silver came out, along with the some Depression glass tumblers. My Mikasa "Just Flowers" pattern seemed to be the right one for spring.
You'd think after the last week, with the art sale eating most of the time, I'd be laying low. And in some ways, I would have liked to. But there was too much on the agenda -- the fun and the not-so-fun.
The fun was a belated birthday party for Rick and me and our friends Mark and Jan. Jan's birthday was in May, Rick's in July, mine in August and Mark's early this month. But we hadn't celebrated a one of them! So I decided to have a birthday party for us all.
I can't say coming home for a few days was great -- it was beastly hot for much of the time (like so many other spots here in the US) and without air, I relied on fans in the evening, the car for quick air-con cool downs and ice beanbags to take to bed. Fortunately, a rain came through with a bit of a cool down -- relief at last! Rick stayed at the lake, cycling home just in time for some fun. But a broken bike had me on stand-by for a pick-up, just in case the repair made didn't hold.
Rick has not been looking forward to turning 70. I can relate -- I remember feeling somewhat the same. What is it about those zero (and to a lesser degree, the "five") year birthdays that can get us in a funk? At any rate, I was determined it would be a good time.
That said, how do you have a good time at the lake when all your friends and most of your family is elsewhere at the moment? Well, you extend the merriment!
So, here we are. Early September. Time to start packing up. Summer is over, and though we will return to the cottage two or three more times, we have to admit, summer is over.
We left the lake knowing we had a quick, two-day turnaround at home before leaving for a memorial celebration of life in Minneapolis. Rick was playing guitar for a garden club luncheon and I had another set of birthday plans. My Cork Popper friend Barb invited friend Kate and me to lunch at her home. Barb is probably one of the best cooks I know, if not THE best. And she always does things so beautifully. It was no exception this day when she met us with a lovely wine served, as she said, in "Nick and Nora" glasses. (You probably recognize those names from "The Thin Man" movies.
Before we took a lake break and after the kids left, we still had time for some fun at the lake. C'mon in!
The day the kids left, we rapidly picked up the house and that evening welcomed friends Dick and Judy Winter for dinner as they journeyed home from a getaway.
I returned from art camp, excited to see Rick and hear how is bike hike went. (It was good!) Finally we would be able to celebrate his belated birthday! (Thanks to those who wished me one -- it's actually in mid-August but Kate and I celebrated early!)
Our recent Saturday began with Rick's bike ride. He's having a lot of problems with his bike and waiting for a new part to arrive. That means rides are shorter and closer to home. (We still don't know about his upcoming Canadian trip yet.)
But he took off in good form, happy to be in motion!
~ A.A. Milne
When I was one,
I had just begun.
When I was two,
I was nearly new.
Everything this summer has been more than a little topsy turvy with a few big monkey wrenches thrown into the mix. Would my birthday be the same? Nope! It was terrific!
Summertime and the living is easy. So they say, at any rate, but this summer seemed decidedly odd. There is a hint of instability, melancholy and uneasiness in the air, a sharp contrast to the blue skies, puffy clouds and stunning sunsets.
What a good birthday week! On Sunday, we had fun with the Little Boys and their mom (check it out here if you haven't already) and on Monday time with a friend I'd not seen in ages. Then Wednesday was my birthday and the day I registered my new used car!
It was Rick's mom's -- he drove it up from Texas! And I love it. Just the first part of a good day!
Well, not literally in debt. In fact, less than ever! I'm entering my new year knowing that I'll pay my house off next month. But the new water heater wasn't an inexpensive birthday present to me!
Didn't Rick set a cheery table? I loved this bright lily.
That said, all was fine and wonderful. We came back from the lake. Rick made a lovely dinner and we were delighted when these two showed up -- with flowers, no less.
We started with bread and oil. Then dinner. I have to say, Rick knows how to cook a steak and found the most tender one in town, I think! A lemon couscous and fresh sweet corn on the cob and it was to die for.
But this was a treat for both of us. These pix are a bit soft. It's hard to hit a moving target!
But look at that face. Oh, he's going to be big, adorable trouble!
As Rick shared, he is the spitting image of Cam's dad at the same age!
We were glad we had chalk. Molly said "regular" chalk works better for his little hands than sidewalk chalk.
A few days later, my friend Kate came over and we celebrated both our birthdays -- safely and at a distance in my messy garage!
Our friend Sarah Holland, massage therapist and baker extraordinaire, baked the most wonderful cake for us and we each had beautiful bouquets of hydrangeas from her as well. So thoughtful! Kate's birthday was on March 1. We were going to celebrate later that month after I got back from Canada. Well, we all know what happened then! It felt so good to celebrate together -- a "normal" day.
Fall is closing in! Ah, well, till then I'll enjoy celebrating another year older....with hot water!
I am so grateful to be having another birthday.
And I look forward to a new year.
Especially with this guy!
His main present is a new helmet but he needs to pick that out himself. But I made him a "story of his life" video which was about 40 minutes long and had photos from the time he was a baby, our friends, family, grands, music, cycling and traveling.
