the day

Things I did on my & Bea's birthday included:

played racquetball (worked on my wrist action)

went for four brisk walks outside, two of those with two little kids smashed into one stroller, arms around each other, grinning into the other's face like they were on their honeymoon as we flew down one hill after the other

ate a delicious lunch at my friend, Sal's house, followed by a delectable chocolate cake

sized up the various boxes in our front hallway that arrived in the post

helped a bunch of first and second graders wipe the excess paper mache off newspaper strips to plaster their very first volcanoes

folded a load of laundry

found, in my mailbox, a glorious bouquet of purple and yellow flowers wrapped in an embarassment of pink tissue paper

paid our bills

chatted over the fence with a kind, bearded man whose three boys swung on our gate and exhanged warm hugs with a friend, T, in the windy parking lot of St. Ann's preschool

read a card from Sal that made me tear up a little. . .and opened some really beautiful stained glass butterflies

tried on my newest thrift store T shirt, Abraham Lincoln with florescent green earphones and a turn-table

proofed my short story, "Patron Saint of Trees" that will soon go to print at Southeast Review--hurrah!

dropped by two littlest daughters at Elesha's house for pizza, where I later found them snug on the couch with Elesha, looking at photos of China

sat in Dairy Queen booth, eating a huge vanilla soft serve cone while Bea covered herself in chocolate icecream and seven kids tore around, high on sugar

talked to my mother, my father, my sister, my sister-in-law, my brother, my mom and dad-in-law on the phone (six different happy birthdays!)

drank tea and chatted away a morning with my dear friend, Nancy Greenthumb

ate reheated ham and mashed potatoes on the couch with Martin while watching "Scrubs"

bathed all day in sunshine and the oceans of love washing over me from all of you, my family and friends, my whole world of goodness.