Tuesday, March 8, 2011

My Half Century Mark

When I wrote this blog (that I found buried in my purse recently), I was still enjoying a country weekend--house had been cleaned, plants watered, candles lit in every room, so good smells were wafting about and I took pen (keyboard) in hand to write.

Right before Christmas was my birthday. My 50th Birthday. I was the first in my Elder Group to turn 50. Expected to set a precident? I hoped not. I'm quite uncomfortable being the center of attention so I was hoping no big secret plans were made. I heard a phrase and ran with it--I wanted to elope with my birthday.

Papa turned 50 several years ago. He had worked himself into such a state that I had to plan a trip and we left town so he wouldn't have to endure any birthday festivities around home or work. We had a very nice trip to Sanibel Island, Florida laying on the beach in the daytime and going to spring training baseball games in the evening. By the time we came home, he was relaxed and had moved past his birthday.

I wasn't quite this bad. I wanted it to be a non-event though. Haven't enjoyed my birthday in several years, not connected to aging, that's never been the issue.

I suggested maybe a weekend away at a lodge in the Ozarks but Papa isn't the trip planner in our family. Unless I plan it, it doesn't happen. I guess I could have planned it but it was pre-Christmas and I was getting exhausted already and didn't have much initiative myself.

We had planned to drive to Phoenix over the holiday break from work (we get two weeks off), but then Papa cmae home one night telling me he may have to work during the break but wouldn't know until the last minute! GRRRR.

I was missing Fantastic Son something awful and told Papa if we couldn't drive to Phoenix, then I, at least, wanted to fly down myself for a short visit.

So as my birthday loomed closer, Papa started hounding me for a birthday gift idea from him. So I said buy me a ticket to Phoenix to I can go see my son. Done.

So even though it was another Christmas without having FS there, I knew I was at least going to get to see him and Serious Girlfriend and the Three Bonus Kids and that improved my mood terrifically.

So as the actual date of my 50th year arrived we were in the country. I was happy and it was a low key day. Papa wanted to go to dinner and a movie and kept pushing that all day but by dark the wind had picked up, it was drizzling and sleeting, biting cold and I had to play the "it's my birthday, let me do what I want to" card. What I didn't want to do was go outside at all. So I popped two Salisbury Steak tv dinners in the oven and we ate those in front of the tv and watched White Christmas two times that night and let my birthday pass on by. And that was that.

An Older Grammy