Birthday blessings

Yesterday, my dear friend Sally turned 65. She was really happy about it, too. I would not be so happy if I was turning 65, but for her it was a new milestone. I took Sally to one of her favorite Chinese restaurants for an early afternoon lunch. We timed it such that there were a few customers, but not crowded.

For her gift, I took a page out of Patty Szymkowicz's playbook when I sewed Sally's envelope shut.


I thought it would be much easier than ripping out staples or dealing with packing tape,

but Sally didn't realize she could pull one end and the entire thing would come apart. I finally had to open it for her, a feat that was so easy, even I could do it with my arthritic fingers.

Once inside the envelope, she looked at the gift that was wrapped in clear plastic,


then went for the one that was wrapped in some of my deli paper. I'm finding so many uses for this versatile paper. I used some left over from my flowers I made a few weeks ago.

Sally inspects her Burt's Bees heavy duty repair cream. The day that Dana and I went to the health food store, I asked the lady what was best for cuts on the hands or fingers that wouldn't heal. She pointed me to this stuff, a Burt's Bees product I had never used.

Next, Sally opened her other gift, a hand crocheted hat.

Next she fixated on getting the Burt's Bees tin open.

I had to help her with that, too, since I have fingernails and she doesn't.

Soon it was food to the rescue. There was a ton of veggie foods on the buffet, along with a wonderful tomato shrimp dish. I ate till I hurt.

After the meal, Sally showed me her new driver's license, which was a strip of thermal paper. Then she opened her fortune cookie while I finished my meal.

After she read it, she laughed so hard, I couldn't get a good photo. What did it say? "You are known for your organization skills." We both agreed that was supposed to be mine, because nothing could be further from the truth in Sally's world.

When Sally asked what I was working on, I told her I was still trying to finish my Hands AB. She held up her hands and offered them as a digital remembrance of the day and a possible AB spread.

All in all, it was a really, really fun day. No art, but lots of laughs and Chinese food shared with a friend.

Would you like to spend a day in the country? If so, head on over to Heather Cameron's blog and spend A day in the country or possibly a day reading her blog. Heather and her family live in Canada on a farm, named Missing Goat. Why? Because their goat is missing. Read Heather's delightful stories as she takes you through her day, which includes (time permitting) cooking from scratch (including sharing recipes), decorating her home (and photographing it for several high end magazines), and other delightful events. If you like a down to earth, enjoyable folksy read, this blog is for you. And Heather might even have some homemade bread and butter ready for you to sample.