20. Gray Monday

Through the looking glass. (A composite.)

We are born at a given moment, in a given place and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born.

~ Carl Jung

Birthday self-portrait.

As you may have already guessed, yesterday was my birthday.  I am now 56 years of age.  Sometimes I wonder how I got here so fast.

Silver ribbon against a gold background.

It was a lovely day.  My granddaughters telephoned in the morning to sing “Happy Birthday” which was one of the best gifts I received.  I talked with both of my sons (I almost wrote “children” but they aren’t children anymore).  M treated me like a queen, cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner for me, and taking care of the usual daily chores except for a few that I didn’t think it was fair to pass on to him since he was already doing so much.

Watching the waves and ripples.

The weather was cold, but sunny.  Having a sunny day was truly a gift.  We are back under cloud cover once again, with rain in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow.  Dreary, dreary, dreary.  But!  By Wednesday the sun will return and stick around for a while.  Maybe that will put an end to the December Drearies.

Silky blue.

I received a few material gifts.  A CD (Wildewoman) and a LensPen from M.  I told him not to get me anything so it was nice of him to go ahead and get me a couple of small items from my wish list just so I’d have some gifts to unwrap.  Even the wrapping paper he picked was a gift because it had penguins on it, and we all know I like penguins.

M the Younger sent me the book of poems, I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats.  Hilarious!  But only if you have or have had cats because it takes someone who has lived with a cat to truly get it.

Izzy and Bella, back in the day. (2007, shortly after they first came to live with us.)

Sometimes when I lie on your warm chest
And hear your every happy sigh
I gaze into your two kind eyes
And wonder, “Who is that?”

~ Francesco Marciuliano, from I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats

Sweet potatoes and red onions, the start of a delicious Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Chipotle Chili

There was birthday cake too, with plenty of vegetables at lunch and dinner to balance it out.  M made some sweet potato biscuits that are The Best Biscuits in the World.  I’m sure of it.  How am I sure of it?  I don’t like biscuits, and I am generally very critical about them, so these must be the greatest biscuits ever on the whole planet if I like them and want to eat them with every meal.

We still have a bounty of orange vegetables from the CSA even though CSA season is finished for now.  I think we’ll be eating sweet potatoes and winter squashes until spring.

Afternoon tea.

I reckon that’s it from the Wabi Sabi Ranch for today.  Thank you for stopping by.  Did you have a good weekend?  Did you do anything exciting, or not so exciting but worth a mention?  Do tell.  I’d love to hear about it.

Leaves and cones.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

Hanging out with the loblollies in the woods on my birthday.

Today’s joys:  Morning meditation; a pot of tea; mist in the meadows; watching the Great Blue Heron fly in and land in the lagoon; giggles, snorts, and full-out laughter.