Dry Slot

Thanks very much, Mass.

My wife and I are enjoying a very quiet and relaxing Sunday morning. She found a couple pieces of tiramisu for my birthday cake, which always hits the spot.

Reflections on birthdays — the day after

When you're a kid, birthdays are about the best thing going (next to Christmas). You get to have parties, you get to eat cake, and each one of them brings you closer to the day when you can take your place among the grownups. Finally, some respect.

Then, one day, you do. Suddenly you have bills and taxes to pay. You have to worry about things like insurance and dentists and speeding tickets. You have to get a job. It doesn't take much of that until you begin to notice hints of wear and tear. Maybe a sore toe that's slow to heal, or a chipped tooth. Maybe these birthdays are not all they're cracked up to be.

Here's a video about a young lady named Marlene who is at that delicate age when you just begin to wonder. She needs a tiny bit of reassurance.



Two years farther on, and this guy is having real issues.



I just had my fifty-eighth birthday; I'm looking forward to my fifty-eighth Christmas. Gotta say, after you sit through fifty-eight of 'em, the luster starts to wear a bit thin. Those Christmas carols are starting to sound almost as tired as Free Bird or Stairway to Heaven.

Of course this is only one man's perspective. Your mileage may vary. Do you think Methuselah danced a jig each year on his birthday? That would have been 969 jigs.

Rats, I was too busy shoveling snow yesterday. I forgot.

The third time was the charm. The new teevee is hooked up and ready to rock. I have been taking it for a spin. So far so good. :o)

In weather news the sun came out today. The temperature has risen to 40°. There are signs of thawing outside my door.

My parents had planned to come to our party last night. When they awoke Friday snow was already falling. Their route would have taken them south into the advancing storm, then across the front of it. Most likely they would have been driving in icy weather all the way, over two hundred miles. They decided not to risk it.

Now they're stuck at home without electricity. The heavy wet snow broke a lot of tree limbs in their vicinity. Mom says they got about a foot in the mountains. They still hope to get here for Christmas.

Thanks for all the happy birthday and Christmas wishes. Don't worry about 'belated'. I didn't announce my birthday until today — and I didn't really celebrate it until today, either. I had a nice day. I appreciate all you who made it a little nicer.