Surprise !!

My son Jeffrey will be 40 next week, to be sure of surprising him my daughter-in-law threw a surprise party for him this past Saturday at my brother's house in Brooklyn. Jeffrey thought he was going there to celebrate my niece's engagement.

A few of the party goers practice hiding in the corner. My baby bro shows us how hot the sun is when "be there in 10 minutes" turns into more than a half hour

Finally, from the other side of the house, birthday boy and his best girl arrive. 

Lots of hugging

Lots of laughter from his friends

Once she got over the shock of a crowd of people yelling surprise at her and Daddy, Hope had a great time with her friends

Corn-on-the-cob was a big hit

Until cake came along. Dad got the first slice and then there was some discussion about who got the corner flowers. Hope wasn't happy for a moment but then everyone shared. 

A toast to the birthday boy

Me and my sweeties

Happy Birthday to a good son, a good Dad, and a good guy

Being a Person

"it's so hard to just be a person, a good person" my Nana would tell me, "don't make it too complicated, just keep an open heart".

Yesterday was my birthday and I was in a mood. The mood of all moods.
Too many things up in the air; money issues, family drama, worry and stress.

I was determined to be grateful and open hearted. I fed the birds and squirrels. It was a cloudy and misty morning and I love that. Sunny days are so freakin' perky.

I brought coffee and doughnuts to "the old guys" at the marina. They were talking about Pearl Harbor and wars. "It's a sad day" one of them tells me. "It's my birthday" I respond without thinking, I had been hell bent on ignoring that fact. "It's your birthday!" he shouts out, a smile enhancing every beautiful line on his wonderful face. "Hey! you divas, it's the gal's birthday". They all know my name but prefer to call me gal, girlie, sweetie, sweetheart, and so on, Oh yeah, and kid. "It's the kid's birthday?" another repeats, "well that calls for the silver flask".

We all had spiked coffee and sang bits and pieces of old songs while the gulls fled to open water.

I got home and had a two hour fun talk with my baby brother. Right before we hung up he told me to check his Facebook.

He wrote this :

happy birthday to my big sister Dianne who took me in as a teenager
when living with my father became unbearable. if not for her my life
today would be different. we don't talk or see each other often but it
doesn't change that fact. remember where you came from and how you got
where you are today. no doubt someone helped you along the way.

Like · · Promote · a few seconds ago near Brooklyn ·

Baby bro and his daughters

In the evening Hope gave me a brownie she made in 'Kindegarden Cafe' cooking class and we played with the Ballerina Barbie I gave her for the first night of Chanukah. She'll be in Brooklyn tonight so we celebrated early.

"I get a Chanukah present because your Nana is Jewish?"
"Well sort of, you really get it just because I love you and my Nana would have loved you too"
"That's a good reason"


Have a good weekend everyone
Just be a person

Big Birthday Day

Three August 4th Birthdays 

My dear friend Sylvia

photo is one of the many custom headers created by a friend just for Sylvia 

Sylvia always has a kind comment to leave along with hugs for Hope - and me. Her posts are full of beautiful photographs and uplifting quotes.

Happy Birthday Sylvia

Today is also President Obama's birthday. My wish for him is re-election and a Congress that gets its head out of its ass.

Last but not least is Isadora. I believe she's 4.

A lot of folks who adopt prefer to celebrate the day they bring their new family member home but I like birthdays.
The assumption was that she was born some time in early August so I decided she should share with Sylvia and Barack.

Cake

Catnip

For Everyone

Hope is Three

Hope Mia was born on Friday, July 3, 2009 at 10:19 PM. I remember her Dad saying that if she could just wait a little bit longer she'd be a July 4th baby. Mom wasn't amused.

the Mother Goose poem says

Fridays child is loving and giving

Hope celebrated her birthday this past Saturday. First with a "kids only" party at a small amusement park. Later that day family and friends came by for BBQ and cake.

Hope couldn't decide between Toy Story and Rapunzel as a theme so she got both.

Cars is another favorite. Tita Geli and Nana combined forces to get lots of Car stuff

Surrounded by adults Hope searches her gift bags for toys while they admire the clothes.

Mom brought out the cake and Hope supervised the cutting so that she could be sure to "get all of Rapunzel's face on my piece"

In between gift opening and cake cutting there was lots and lots of fun

Taking care of her new pup with her new vet kit
Aunt Denise lends a hand. Denise has been a family friend since she was a teen.

Pup is all better and takes a ride on Mater the bubble maker
It was about 9 PM at this point and the birthday girl had been awake since 7 AM

Three is a good age

Happy Birthday Bobbie

thanks to LISA I found out it was BOBBIE’S birthday

Bobbie is one of the most progressive, intelligent, thoughtful, involved, empathetic bloggers I know

and a good friend

Happy Birthday Bobbie!!

I love ya

It Is A Big Day For Birth

First - thank you for all the kind and loving comments about Mia. I tried to respond to them but I get too emotional. You are all the kindest and most wonderful people in these here Internet Tubes.

NOW - on to some happy

Three wonderful fabulous folks are celebrating a birthday today.

There's LILY HYDRANGEA (isn't that a cool name?) - Lily posts great shots from all around LawnGuyLand. I love her photos, they take me back to when I visited the island regularly.


My sister from another mother (doesn't sound as good as brother from another mother) DARYL is having a surprise party over at her place. Check it out - it's funny and fun and so well done. If she gets drunk enough at her party I'm going to kidnap the Toon Man - don't tell anyone.


And then there's MATT MAN. My Matty. The wondrous dark and twisted glorious bastard that I love. Since it's Sunday I would love to biblically know him in the back pew of a cathedral - don't tell anyone.

Pet Pride: Siren's Wonderful Day

OMG!! everybody!!
I had the best birthday

I knew it was my birthday because it was also Christmas so I was very excited. Mom person went to make coffee and I was ready for good stuff to happen.

Then I heard the infiltrator ...



... she's relentless. an endless furless lump of need. I could hear her face and I knew that all the persons were flocking to her. how many persons does it take to shut up an infiltrator?

Mom person didn't come back. and she didn't come back. and she didn't come back.

I have read that cats don't have a true sense of time. BS! I waited forever and I know how long that is.

Finally Mom person returned.

And she came right to me and opened the living room door. and. and. and...



Look!! A birthday wonderland.

I was beside and around myself with joy ...



I needed to decide what to open first ...





Big and round is always a wise choice ...





I have a confession to make. I have a little problem.

I don't hold my catnip well.

There was catnip in/on everything ...

In the box ...



In the bag ...



Come out ya bastards, I have your leader ...



Ha! I improved the big round thing ...



I was so overwhelmed with love and appreciation. I had to rest ...



I am a very lucky boy. All cats should have a life like mine.

Please stop by PET PRIDE and check out Bozo and all our friends.

Mia (ugh!) got presents too (not as many as me) because it was Christmas. I will let her tell you about them one day.