her able hands

It’s Friday and I have the day off. The weatherman promises 80* and clear for the day, with temps dropping back into the mid 60s over the weekend. I can’t help but think I played this smart. My boss is a great guy, lets us take our birthday off, but I was more interested in extending my weekend. In about an hour I’ll get Lila up, dressed and off to preschool, then will turn around and drive back home to spend the day in the garden.

What a lovely birthday yesterday, even with the non-stop state of emergency at work, I still felt this smile bubbling inside of me. Thanks everybody for such sweet well-wishes. Phone calls from family and friends poured in. I followed links from my stats this morning to lovely props across the internet. I have a gorgeous new painting to hang on the wall, a lovely present from dear Cathy and Allan.

We had plans to meet Cheril, Greg and the kids at Ray’s Place again in the evening, but I had a stack of boxes full of the most wonderful gifties waiting for me in the kitchen. I sat out on the deck and opened everything before we left so I could call my family back east and thank them, but then found myself overwhelmed and unable to call up adequate words of thanks for their unbounded generosity. I called, but I suspect I sounded sort of thank-you-tarded.

Apparently, there’s an iPod with my name on it waiting at the Apple Store in Legacy Village. Saturday? You are mine. Mom and Steve, Jen and Vin, you are way too generous. But I love it. I can’t wait to start setting up playlists. Thank you, a thousand times. Then Mom and Steve sent a big box full of other goodies that I’m looking forward to unpacking again after I return from drop-off. There’s a hand-blown glass orb to hang in my dining room window with colors that will complement the colors on the chairs once I get them refinished. So gorgeous.

My Aunt Ginny has spent the past year collecting little things and sent a Xerox paper box with 40 individually wrapped gifts, some of them handmade. It felt like Christmas digging into that box with Lila by my side helping me pull the ribbons off and carefully unrolling the paper (we tried to keep the dragonfly print bits intact, so pretty). In the box? Chick fabric, Godiva chocolates, soaps, paper goods, lotion, dish towels, pot holders, a matchstick herb garden (I’ll take pics of this one later), and dozens of other goodies.

Then at the end of the night Tyler gave me a soapstone oil burner with an elephant carved into it, with the disclaimer that “it was real cheap.” But hey! He listened to Chris (who listened to me) and put some effort into getting something of appreciation on his own instead of running to his room to make me a card at the end of the day because it hadn’t dawned on him that it was my birthday. He even wished me a happy day as soon as he woke up and gave me a whole lot of big, stinky boy hugs all night. Looks like we’re all growing up.

And my birthday isn’t over yet! On Saturday we’re picking up a gas grill—Chris’ gift to me. I know that’s traditionally a Father’s Day type present, but I’m the only one who cooks, and I figured hey! I’m turning 40! It’s okay to ask for a big-ticket item as a Mother’s Day/Birthday combo. I can’t wait to make grilled veggie quesadillas out on the deck on Sunday. I bought bunching onions, mushrooms and peppers to marinate, and two nearly-ripe avacados wait on the counter.

Holy Mackerel, people. I’m still overwhelmed and will enjoy my day in the sun matched by the warm glow of thanks and love from within.

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