Birthdays

It is birthday week. Two of my dearest friends and I have birthdays this week. My birthday is tomorrow. Muriel's birthday was yesterday and Paula's was the today before. We are all getting pretty old.  Not seventy, but perilously close. I realized this week that Muriel, who was my cross-the-street neighbor for 13 years has been my friend for half of my life now.  We have been through some pretty difficult, as well as wonderful times together. Paula has been a friend even longer. http://andsewitgoes.blogspot.com/search?q=Paula  they are both very dear to me. Longtime friendships like these provide perspective and are touch points in my life. Would life even be real if you didn't have friends that share your memories?

Earlier this week Paula and I went downtown to Powell's bookstore to hear our old Pocatello classmate, my first date, Tom Spanbauer, read from his new book. ( we are so proud of him!) We ended up on the elevator with Tom and he seemed so happy to see us and gave us big hugs and exclaimed, "Look at us! We're good!" Which I took to mean we have survived! A lot. And isn't it great? For sure. And yes we have.

Tom, signing our books. 

Birthdays. You can love them or hate them. Mostly I am stunned these days. Incredulous to be this age. Some days I feel those years. Mostly I don't. So much, right now in my life, makes me grateful for this life and grateful to be in good health and grateful for all the love and goodness I have known, and grateful that it— knock wood—goes on. So I can only feel gratitude for another birthday. 

Today Paula and I celebrated our birthdays. We went out to lunch at one of the big Antique markets in Portland. We laughed at how many of the "antiques" were things we grew up with. She was looking for  hammered aluminum serving pieces. I looked for my favored Taxco silver. Neither of us found what we were looking for, but each of us came home with something old—like us. Mine was a metal crow who now sits on a rafter overlooking our living room. 

"Never more."

Tomorrow I celebrate with my family. I won't even tell you how old I am. It really is just a number. And it doesn't matter to me.  A great moment today was a phone call from my granddaughter. "Hi Grandma. It's Sofia. I have a question for you. Don't ask me any questions, just answer me. Do you like purple?"  As a matter of fact, yes, Sofia, I love purple. 

I can hardly wait to see what my birthday present will be... Do you think it will be purple?