GIRLS AND BEER.

I am very ambivalent about birthdays. I don’t celebrate my own, nor others, normally. Other people remember mine. I often don’t. But, Margo on the right, was also not celebrating her birthday, but here we are having a birthday get together for Margo. Basically just an excuse to have a girls night out. Amanda, on the left, is new in town and works at Quyle pottery. A new Brewery in town, we decided to try their beers. But, check out the glasses, Amanda’s glass is tall, Margo has a mug.


Pam and I each have a heavy “brandy” style glass?  Beats me. We ordered a taster and my favorite beer is Black Butte Porter. This brewing company doesn’t make a porter, but their stout was excellent and the rest of their beers were too. Glad we went, but, just a pass on the food. So, go for the beer.

Pam Quyle runs a pottery in Murphys that started with her parents 61 years ago. We’ve been long time friends and Pam decided we will have dinner at my house in February. She is the organizer so, now I know what kind of beer everyone likes. February it is. Maybe we’ll  not celebrate another birthday if we can find a friend born in February? I gave Margo the best card. We’re all single. On the front it reads, “I was trying to find a man for you.” On the inside it read, “But, why get something so useless.”

I know, its bad. I was the fourth recipient of that card. I scratched my name out and put in Margo’s. It’s a girl thing. It went well with the beer.

MARCH BIRTHDAYS.

Growing up in a big family, we didn't celebrate birthdays, other than to have a home-made cake and possibly your favorite meal for that day. In our family we have two March birthdays, my son Doug and my grandson Mason. Mason's uncle Mike, I discovered, drinks craft beers and offered me my very fav, Black Butte Porter. Now, that makes it a celebration in itself, selfish person that I am.

Doug turned 50 and he has recently joined the 21st century and now has an email address. He and younger sister, Virginia, appeared to be in deep, serious, conversation with that computer.

I had an opportunity to talk to my 14-year-old grandson, Owen, about our upcoming trip to Turkey, explaining how the trip works, what to pack, etc.

Mason, the other birthday boy, age 19, told Owen, (and Theo, looking on, since he is the next 14-year-old to get a trip with grandma), that the way they stop the buses on these tours is to let it run down a hill and hit a bunch of cars to stop it. Of course, we had a good laugh about that, because that is what happened when we were in Thailand. Mason was one of three people still left on the bus when it went careening down a hill and the driver had to run into a bunch of parked cars to stop it. It tipped over on it's side and no one was seriously hurt.

Ken faces his barbeque so he can get smoke in his eyes. He barbequed a bunch of ribs and chicken. The rest of us brought food to go along with the meat, and hey, any reason to have a party and good food. Why not?

My daughter-in-law Laurie is so grateful that she and Ken were able to move out of Vegas and back to California. Her brother Mike and sister-in-law Ramona Henniger, live in Lodi where Laurie was born and grew up.

One of her best high school friends, Diane, came to help celebrate. It is nice to get back to your roots and she is a happy camper.

Cedric likes to plink on his guitar. Both Mason and his brother Stewart play.

And Cedric discovered that Mike is a pretty good guitarist and played in a small band when he was young.

Jim found that he has a lot in common with Diane's significant other, Randy, who rides motorcycles, does a lot of camping and now likes going on trips in his 5th wheel. He kind of envies Jim's lifestyle of being a full-time RVer.

And, brother Bill, has gotten much of his sight back and no longer wears a patch. He was left with a bad astigmatism in his right eye and will soon have glasses to correct the problem. But, it is a great relief to no longer have to face double vision or wear a patch over that eye.  I kind of liked the looks of the patch. Thought he made a great looking pirate, but he couldn't toss it soon enough. That's fair. Hey, good food, good company, whose birthday is next?

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS.

Madaline Krska celebrated her 70th birthday with a theme, a slew of friends, and the idea that we  are all celebrating birthdays and walking in the sun. She was flitting about and being the perfect hostess so it was hard to corner her for a picture. (Her smile is famous.)

We had an opportunity to don a lei and put a paper flower in our hair. We got name tags and noted our own birthdays…for later.

Laurie didn’t have enough hair for a flower so she  put her flower on her dress.

 Some people just don’t know any other language than smile. Isn’t that the way it is supposed to be?

It was fun to catch up with old friends from the Calaveras Arts Council, Marta and Kevin-artists, both.

Penny and Glenna.

Many people I had never met before.

Character shows.

Irene is a renownded  activist in the Motherlode.

Ed Klein is a talented photographer.

Don was born in January. You can see it on his name tag. I’d never met him before.

Getting help from your partner.

Hey, where is your lei?

The food was wonderful.

It was interesting to ask people you didn’t know how  had they met Madaline.

There was a lot of talent roaming around the pool and grounds at the Leger Hotel in Mokelumne Hill, but this woman has the most.  She can put two fingers in her mouth and whistle loud enough to bring the whole crowd to a standstill. I’m ever envious.

And thus we gathered to toast Madaline and each other in turn, those born in January,  February and March. Those April, May and June. July, August and September, October, November and December, each group in turn.  We all walk in the sun. Penny read off a list of famous people who share Maddie’s birthday and those famous ones who no longer walk in the sun.

We had our champagne with Little lavender cupcakes from Lila and Sage of Murphys.

My favorite picture was this one of Maddie’s daughter, Shelly. We had never met before and I found a fellow rambler. A woman who trekked across country by herself in a camper and hopes to do more of the same with a friend as time allows.  While I was setting my camera for my flash, she popped our Mary and Jim card into her hand and held it up. Isn’t that cool?
For the rest of the photos I took, you can click on the link below:
https://picasaweb.google.com/106530979158681190260/2013720CelebratingBirthdays

BETTER PIE CRUST

When I returned from the grocers yesterday, son Doug was cutting up my fallen tree. He cleared the driveway and piled the brush. Since I managed to celebrate Ken's and Kristanne's birthdays with them, his older siblings, I invited him up for his favorite dinner to celebrate his birthday.  The next thing I knew he was busy in my kitchen making blackberry apple pie.

 I like to cook, but baking has never been a talent to which I could lay claim. Its really kind of annoying that my son makes a better pie crust than mine. He pre-bakes the bottom crust so the filling won't make it soggy. He picked the blackberries last September and stored them in my freezer. He likes to put on a dainty lattice top.

HIS pies NEVER bubble over in the oven. Cooked to perfection, beautiful,  and, he is quick, besides. He can chit chat while working and never miss a step. I mean, I CAN make a pie, but cut up a tree? No! Two of my brothers and a sister came out for the occasion. I was having so much fun, I forgot to take pictures---except for that pie. After a certain age, birthdays are kind of meaningless if inevitable, but throw in a home-made  pie and its an occasion to remember.

OVER THE HILL

We celebrated my son, Ken's birthday last night with his favorite cake, home made German Chocolate, and his favorite dinner, home made burritos.
Family traditions differ, for sure, but it was fun to go back in time and fix his favorite dinner. That is, I made the burritos and his wife made the cake; with five candles and the big O.

Funny how a fancy dinner doesn't appeal, but the old, down home, staple foods are what we enjoy the most. Meaty burritos and refried beans.

Daughter Kristanne always chose for her birthday, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and cheesecake. Ken received a couple really funny cards,  this one from "the dog"

A half century. We talked about age and Ken made an interesting comment; "I've never known hunger." We are lucky as well as happy to celebrate. Happy Birthdays.

CELEBRATIONS ARE AS INDIVIDUAL AS THE PARTICIPANTS

Some people just can't allow a birthday to pass without getting in their licks. That would be my neighbor, Jan Stewart. She's always been a rabble rouser. What is a person to do when you'd prefer to let 70 pass quietly under the radar? Or even better, turn it back to 69 for awhile longer.
It was just a simple- "come on over for dinner" invitation among neighbors. My birthday was days ago.

And my neighbor and house-sitter, Karen, is just as bad. She brought me a bouquet of roses and baked me my favorite dessert, home made apple pie.

  At Jan's, the table was set for she and Jerry, Jim and I and Karen with one space for Karen's blind date.

A talking head.

With mic in hand, Jim spoke through the head and gave it some salacious dialogue. Talking heads at Jan's? Nothing surprising there,  so, I still think this is just a crazy-like-Jan dinner.

 Then they haul out the birthday stuff, cards and presents like Cheap Slut hand soap, body finger paint that glows in the dark, (which we immediately had to test. It glows.) Some questionable candy and other stuff came out of the package they presented to me. Plus a delightful cake. There is no slipping under the radar with Jan in the neighborhood.

Now I get to spill the beans. Jan is a Wiccan and that is NOT mistletoe she and Jerry are testing. Its oregano, and I have no idea what that means. But I do know, we always have fun at Jan's.