Solipsisms R Us

The statistics for my birthday for this year have now been tallied, certified by the Secretary of State’s office, and archived for posterity.

With 100% of the precincts reporting, the final figures are:

Number of cards received via snail mail using actual postage stamp: 5
Number of musical cards received via email: 1
Number of greetings received on Facebook: 19
Number of comments received on my birthday Blogpost: 9
Number of telephone calls received from my children: 2
Number of text messages received from my children: 1
Number of text messages received from my children’s children: 2
Number of times hearing “Happy Birthday” sung: 2
Number of free desserts received at swanky restaurants: 1
Number of free milkshakes received at fast-food restaurants: 1
Number of pairs of new socks received from spouse: 4
Number of pairs of new underpants received from spouse: 4
Number of sets of new pajamas received from spouse: 1.5

But enough about me. What did you think about my birthday?

I meant to post this rebus yesterday.

Jinksy will understand. But do you?





































































































I will post the answer tomorrow.

Update, 3/19/2010, 3:50 pm EDT. I have decided to post the solution this afternoon so that my thousands of readers will not be on needles and pins until tomorrow.

My more erudite readers will know that my rebus is a photographic version of a famous greeting card created by Sandra Keith Boynton in 1975. My immediate problem is that I have no idea which of you happen to be my more erudite readers.

Jinksy knew the answer because two days ago I sent her some environmentally aware, green, we’re-riders-on-the-earth-together birthday greetings that went:

Hippo birdie two ewe,
Hippo birdie two ewe,
Hippo birdie deer Jiiinnnnkksssyyyyyy,
Hippo birdie two ewe.

Just substitute rhyyymeswithplaaaaague (shown here circa 1943 with my mother) for Jiiinnnnkksssyyyyy and you have most of today’s puzzle celebrating my birthday, which was yesterday. Thank you once again, Sandra Keith Boynton.

I think the ending of the rebus, which happens to be my own addition, is rather obvious:

...and many mower.