Growing older day by day

Birthday orchid from Jordan and Christian
chosen for the pale yellow walls in the cottage.

If you extend your birthday beyond the actual date, does that accelerate the rate of aging? I certainly hope not, because that’s what I seem to be doing. My actual birthday on Friday was low key—I worked, as did everyone in the family. But Jordan insisted on dinner in the house at the dining table, with roses, good china, and all that. The menu, at my choice, was hamburgers and salad. Christian grills the world’s best hamburgers, and Jordan makes a killer blue cheese salad. For dessert, good moist chocolate brownies.

Yesterday was again a workday, but son Jamie and Eden arrived from Frisco about five o’clock. Eden is the youngest of Jame’s two girls, a rising sophomore at UCLA, brilliant and beautiful—very California looking with long bare legs and a bare midriff. She’s a sweet softie an has always had a special place in my heart. This was my chance to see her before she goes back to school next weekend.

We intended to go out to dinner, though I had mentioned a little hesitation because of rampant covid—I have so many friends with it, all of them vaccinated and boosted. Jamie reluctantly agreed to a patio, but I doubt many restaurants are opening their patios these days with the heat. Long story short, without advance reservations, we couldn’t find an open table. Jamie was amazed at the change in his hometown where it used to be you could drop in anywhere and get a table. Times are a-changing in Cowtown bigtime.

We ended ordering take-out from Bonnell’s, so all three of us piled in the car for the drive, with Eden at the wheel (it was her car). Since she doesn’t know the city at all we have to navigate for her, but it was fun. Honestly, I feel like a recluse, but I so seldom leave the cottage that I was amazed at all the changes I saw. Like a little kid, I’d say, “That’s new!” and “That wasn’t there,” and “Look at that!” Much of what I saw was new residential, some of it so very good, and some not so good. Why are they building so many white houses these days?

Jordan was at an office retreat, and Christian had gone to pick up Jacob in Plano, so we had tons of food—Jamie’s eyes have always been bigger than his stomach, since he was a little kid. Christian and Jacob came home about eight, and we all had a laughing visit.

Tonight, Subie and Phil came for happy hour before they take off for month in their cabin in the Pecos Mountains, where it’s cool and raining. I’m happy for them, and I now Phil is always at his most easy happiness in those mountains where he spent part of his growing-up years. But we will miss them. We fixed pickle snacks which are suddenly all over the internet, but we didn’t get them crispy. Just grated cheese in a mini muffin cup, a pickle slice, and a bit more cheese. I think the problem was that it called for a non-stick pan and, thinking the one Jordan brought me was not that, I sprayer it with Pam. After I washed it tonight, I think it is indeed non-stick.

At the last minute, Jordan and Christian had to make an emergency run to the airport so we tabled the chop suey Jordan was going to help me make. I will do the prep and Christian will cook it tomorrow. Meantime I fixed myself a supper that would not fly with my family, but it was so good I ate every bite. Artisan toast with garlic, butter, tomato slices, sardines, and onion slices, drizzled with olive oil and lemon.

My sardine supper.
Honest if you look closely, there are sardines under all those sweet onions.

But wait! My birthday isn’t over! That aging process goes on—next weekend, most of the family will gather, and I’m excited as always to have all my chickens in one coop (bad metaphor I think, but I will be glad to have them all at home). We’ve been hashing out menus and so on, but I believe it will be the dinner I used to request as a child for my summer birthday: sliced cold turkey (some among us will have to heat theirs, but I love cold meat), potato salad, and marinated vegetables. And chocolate mousse cake.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is back to work. I am plowing through Helen Corbitt entries on the Portal to Texas History—a wonderful resource, but Helen has 134 pages of entries. Good friend Carol, an archivist, is teaching me streamlined ways to winnow them down. I learn so much about computers with every project. This one seems particularly tough—tell me it’s not my aging brain!

Have a happy week, everyone.

Birthdy flowers for my desk.