birthday

For many years, but especially for the last seven or eight, I have not been a good celebrator of my own birthday.  I view birthdays as rather melancholy affairs.  A reminder of my own mortality and a time to reflect on how little I have accomplished over the years.

I would rather sit and brood than celebrate.  The wife would try her best to improve my mood.  She would suggest things that we could do but I would refuse.

This year the wife didn't ask me.  She planned a party.  She invited my good ping pong playing pals Dale, Ziggy, Vaso and Jeff and their wives Carmen, Irene, Sue and Maria.  Also invited, as they are every year regardless of my mood, were my mom and my sister.  And last but not least my neighbors and friends Frank and Tish.

Mom and I have season tickets to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and the concert was on Sunday, my birthday.  It was a great concert.  We heard Tchaikovski's 6th symphony, the Pathetique, and Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto. 

The piano in the Rachmaninoff piece was played by a young, Korean woman by the name of Joyce Yang.  She was wonderful!

I don't think that I ever heard Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto before, it is quite a piece.

After the concert Mom and I drove to my house.  Some of the guests had already arrived and sister Debbie was there as well.

Sarah had bought me a small, metal fire pit to replace the one that had rusted away.  She had also purchased two skewers.  We built a fire and roasted hot dogs.  There was also coleslaw, chips, baked chicken and deviled eggs.

I set up the bag toss game and the men played.

It was a cool evening and the fire felt good.  We sat around it and talked and ate.  Some of us drank beer.  Not much beer though, there is enough beer left over for another four parties.  Maybe five.

Everyone left early except for Frank.  Of course he only needed to go next door.  He had brought some very good beers as a gift and when everyone else left he got out two cigars.  We smoked cigars, tried the beers that he had brought and talked for several hours.

I was tired but satisfied by the time that I went to bed. 

Everyone brought gifts.  I was embarrassed by their generosity and wished that they had not brought anything.  Both Jeff and Vaso had birthdays only a couple of weeks ago and I did nothing for them but wish them a happy one.

Sarah worked very hard to make the party a success.  And it was.  I had no time to reflect and be melancholy.