The weather has been pleasant for a change after some very blustery, cold, wet days of late. The daffodils and forsythia have burst into bloom hereabouts and the robin families are hopping on the lawn.
My birthday began with an appointment at my primary care physician’s office for the drawing of blood to be sent to the lab for analysis. After that Mrs. RWP and I went out for breakfast and also stopped by the craft shop so that Mrs. RWP could get a pair of bamboo knitting needles, size 10.
I received comments on my birthday blogpost from 9 people (including one very long poem by Robert W. Service courtesy of All Consuming), 12 greetings on my Facebook page, 4 birthday cards via snail mail, 4 birthday telephone calls, 4 birthday text messages on my iPhone, and an animated, musical email card that included a black dog named Chudleigh, a white dog named Molly, a nameless cat, and an equally nameless mouse (courtesy of Snowbrush).
In the evening, Mrs. RWP and I enjoyed a lovely dinner at a local seafood restaurant. We ordered the same entree (shrimp and scallop linguini in a butter and white wine sauce) and salad (garden salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing) but different soups (she, chicken tortilla soup; I, New England clam chowder) and desserts (she, caramel cheesecake; I, Key lime pie). A good time was had by all. The waiter received a generous tip.
Wednesday afternoon we drove over to Cumming to let Norma administer our monthly sprucing up of the coiffures. In my case, there is less and less coiffure to spruce up. Then we went to our church’s regular Wednesday night supper, where I was required to blow out a candle on a surprise piece of birthday cake while the assembled personages sang Happy Birthday to me.
Last evening we drove down to Roswell and picked up an old friend and his daughter and all of us continued on to Kennesaw to see our 17-year-old grandson perform on the opening night of his school’s production of Fiddler On The Roof. He played the role of Perchik, the radical from Kiev who pursues Tevye’s second daughter, Hodel. Our daughter-in-law choreographed the entire production and our 14-year-old granddaughter assisted in the making of costumes.
This morning the doctor telephoned with the results from the lab. My hemoglobin and hematacrit have finally reached acceptable levels, so I am officially no longer anemic. However, my ferritin (iron) readings are still a bit low, so I will continue taking iron for six more months, at which time more blood work will be needed.
This evening, weather permitting, we will drive to Woodstock to see our 18-year-old grandson play baseball for his school. This is a busy season for him as his high-school career winds down and he looks forward to graduation and playing baseball in college. His brother, the 16-year-old basketball player, finished his season recently and has obtained his driver’s license.
From over in Alabamistan has come word that our 15-year-old grandson placed fourth in the state in a mathematics competition in which he represented his school in the Geometry category, our 13-year-old grandson learned that he was accepted onto his school’s golf team, and our daughter (age withheld on request) completed requirements for her Master’s Degree and survived her Graduate School Exit Interview.
A very busy time for our entire family, it seems. Even for my long-dead grandfather who died in 1970. He would have celebrated his 139th birthday today.
Life, except for my grandfather, goes on.
You get out more than I do. And I'm very pleased you've had, and have such a packed schedule of fun, how marvellous. You've taken me back a spell with talk of Perchik as my father played the role of Tevye 6...or was it 7 times..hmm...anyway the last time was four years ago and he is 75 in May, so not bad going at all. He had me doing his lines with him from when I was 6 years old, so I know the whole thing backwards, and still enjoy the film when it's on tv. Great news re your health, and continue enjoying yourself, they say it's good for the soul *smiles.
ReplyDeleteWhat a busy week. I am almost exhausted just reading about your week. Of course I wasn't one of the 9 who left messages on your blog or emailed, but I did pass on my excitement for your happy celebration via YPs blog and my own. And the choice of a classical piece of music this week was for you Sir RWP. Like you said RWP, it was all about you ;)
ReplyDeleteAs I watched that message disappear ~ I looked and thought gee I hope that said PASS ON, and preemptive text did not have a mind of its own and replace it with something else ~ so my apologies if the message reads something else ~ like I said the message is gone, gone gone. Eeek!!
ReplyDeleteAll Consuming, I haven't seen the film in a while, but I saw the play once in 2013 and now again in 2014, and I think that Tevye has a line near the end of the movie that doesn't exist in the play. When all the people are leaving Anatevka and Lazar Wolf tells Tevye that he is going to Chicago, America, in the movie Tevye says (unless I have gone completely bonkers -- don't answer that), "I'm going to New York, America. We'll be neighbors!" Could you do me a teensy-weensy little favor and watch the movie and let me know whether I'm right or wrong? Thanks, awfully.
ReplyDeleteCarol in Cairns, I did see your comment on YP's blog, and how rude of me to have forgotten to mention it. Thank you for adding to the overall total!
Carol again, your memory was good. It said PASS ON!
Is that bird a round-robin?
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to have such talented grandchildren and it must be heart-warming to know that you and Madam Ellie have passed the baton of life to a new generation. Most of us have birthDAYS, not birthWEEKS!
ReplyDeleteWhat a week. I suspect it would have caused me to have vapours. However, it seems that you have MUCH more stamina and enjoyed it. Which is right and proper. Birthdays should be spread out, and savoured.
ReplyDeleteTom Stephenson, I think that particular robin is more of an oblate spheroid.
ReplyDeleteYorkshire Pudding, we had a 94-year-old friend who died this past year who always observed a birthMONTH, the entire month of February. I think the main goal of having a birthMONTH was to be served as many free desserts as possible in restaurants around town.
Elephant's Child, regarding "birthdays should be spread out, and savoured," see my response to Yorkshire Pudding.
It's the beauty of family and birthdays. It sounds a busy but rewarding week.
ReplyDeleteADRIAN (IN ALL CAPITALS), you are right. It was very busy, but very rewarding. Especially to the waiter at the seafood restaurant.
ReplyDeleteA busy and mostly - I discount the drawing of blood - enjoyable week. It seems a grand time was had by all.
ReplyDeleteIn response - I shall ask Pa. He is the fountain of all knowledge even when he makes it up.
ReplyDeleteI'm late, but I do wish the most sincere and warm of belated Birthday wishes dear Robert!
ReplyDeleteJust catching up on Blogland.