Tuesday, August 20, 2024, MN

 Happy 55th Birthday to Patrick. Dang it’s hard to imagine how that could sneak up.  I sent him a bunch of photos and here are a few of my favorites.

Home from the hospital and shortly after that.

After a day of painting at our home in KC

                                                            Happy 5th Birthday!

Happy 16th Birthday!

Happy 30th Birthday

Also, Happy 50th birthday to Jill.  I took Norah to her gymnastics class last night so that gave me an opportunity to drop off Jill’s birthday gift.  She had advanced so much since the last time I watched. She is also in a better program and was the only person in class and was getting coached by two coaches, later on by four.  They had her doing a routine of cartwheel followed by 2 back flips, then a forward flip over a raised obstruction, some floor movements that I couldn’t see, on the the bars where she whirled around and around and then onto the beam where she was doing cartwheels and finishing off with a jump off the beam.  I think she is the most sports inclined of my granddaughters, but they are all strong and agile.

This morning, as I was walking Joey, my neighbor Sue was in her yard watering, so she invited me to see her back yard gardens. She is a true plant lover and nature lover and has a beautiful variety of unusual things in her garden.  A potted 6’ tall Norfolk Pine than goes indoor for the winter and becomes their Christmas tree and two potted 

Jade plants that were at least 4 feet tall - one of them had been her mother’s and has survived and flourished for many years also gets taken indoors.  She offered me cuttings from many house plants and I will take her up on it at some point. 

After that great start to the morning,I packed up and headed to Ben’s where I will hang out for the next few days while they are on a birthday trip to the north shore of Lake Superior.  Jill just sent me this picture - her birthday wish was to do some hiking and it looks like that is working out.

I  needed a couple of things at Costco so I went to check out the new store that just opened up a few weeks ago.  As I was looking for the coffee, I slipped on a grape and my right leg slid in front of me and I came down on my butt. Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt too bad but two women helped me get up and covered the slippery mess with paper towels so nobody else would slip and I headed to find a manager to report.  I think I’m fine, but I’m sure feeling some stiffness in my hips and left wrist. Dang it! I  think I’ll have some wine to blur the hurt. This is my view from the deck.