My birthday weekend was extra big this year–not only because I took Friday off from work, but because I got a whole extra hour of sleep for my birthday. (Ta ta, Daylight Savings Time. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.)
Friday was vastly exciting, because I went to get my driver’s license renewed. Thankfully this went more smoothly than the last time because, for one, the DMV was actually OPEN this time. That, and a couple errands with Mom, pretty much filled that morning, and Chappy and I just hung out together in the afternoon. Nice day.
Saturday was my actual birthday. Mom and I went out to Mara’s for coffee in the morning and I got my free birthday dessert cupcake (Cannolli-filled, thank you). Then we stopped at the Verizon Wireless store and I upgraded my cell phone … though I’m not sure I’m happy with it.
I didn’t get one of those fancy smart phones because (1) I just can’t justify the $30 more a month when I barely use my cell phone as it is and (2) I wouldn’t get enough use out of it because, except for pretty much Saturday morning errands, I’m always within reach of a computer or driving myself between work and home (a 10-minute ride). I don’t text message, either. But since you can’t get a “smartish” phone without a data package these days, I opted for the $15/month data plan.
This would probably be fine except that it keeps insisting that my passwords to gmail and to twitter are incorrect. Which they’re not. I retyped them several times to be sure, but it keeps saying no. The only reason I opted for the data plan at ALL is because I figured it might be nice to be able to check my email when I’m out and about, but as it is right now, apparently that’s just not going to happen. So–as of this second, I’m paying for the data plan that I can’t really use except for some basic, slow (really, painfully slow) web browsing. Not only that, but my old plan included 20 free text messages a month, and this one doesn’t include any–so even if I WANTED to send a few text messages, since this phone does have a keyboard, I’d have to pay extra for them, too.
Sigh.
I’ve got 30 days to decide if I want to keep the phone. Which, you know, seems nice enough as a phone, (a Samsung Impulse II, by the way), but not meeting my data expectations.
Oh, and I can’t figure out how to get my preferred ring tone on there, either.
Anyway!
Ramble was delighted to be here to celebrate my birthday. He’s ready to move on, now, but we were really glad to have him for the party.
(Note his party hat, provided by Mom.)
Mom’s giving me a special kind of work-in-progress as a birthday present. You know that wall full of Martha’s Vineyard-themed cross-stitches that she’s done? Well, the Heath Hen has had another design for years that I really liked–this one for Tisbury. There’s something about the branching tree that I’ve always liked, and every time Mom finishes a project and sighs, “Now I need something else,” I mention it. So … she’s going to make it. She gave me the unopened cross stitch kit and a “gift certificate” to cover the framing costs, which basically means that I gave it back to her and once it’s done and framed, it will be “my” picture. Just, you know, on the wall with all its friends.
Today, Sunday, the family all came to visit. Pot roast. Scalloped potatoes. Mashed cauliflower to eat. Plus, of course, cake.
(I was the only one in the family who knew what the Roman Numerals for my birthday should be.)
One nice little story to finish out the post.
You know, of course, about my dearly departed twin, Susan. And how I don’t actually know where she’s buried, just that she’s somewhere “along the wall” in our church’s cemetary. In a plot whose number appears in the official church records but which does not appear on any of the maps of the cemetary. And which Dad doesn’t remember because he was under a bit of stress that day. And, of course, she doesn’t therefore have a stone, so visiting her is a vague kind of soak-up-the-atmosphere kind of thing.
Well, my Windows7 desktop allows for a rotating scheme of desktop photos, and one of the ones I have is of the cemetary (from this post)
Just around midnight last night, as my birthday was passing by and I was about to turn of the computer, this picture popped up on my screen.
Now, Susan only lived about 6 hours. I don’t know the exact minute she died, but she was born about quarter to ten at night. I came along at 10:08, and every year on my birthday night, I think of her, knowing that at that time, X number of years ago, we were BOTH here, breathing, and alive with beating hearts. There’s just those brief few hours that we were both here and breathing, and that makes them especially sacred to me. Sacred to us, as identical twins, before we parted to go our separate ways.
So, when this picture popped up just before my birthday ended last night, I took a couple minutes to talk to Susan, to tell her I loved her, and missed her. You know, the kind of thing you say to dearly-departed loved ones.
Then, she wished me a happy birthday right back.
Because, just before I closed the computer, this picture of birthday cake candles showed up.
Really, could there be any other explanation?
(Yeah, yeah, coincidence, but since I have 50 pictures in that folder, what are the odds that these two would show up, in sequence, just at the exact time during the year that I always think of my departed twin? Exactly. She’s obviously good with computers, that Susan. Besides, it made me smile, and she’s always been good at that.)
Happy birthday, Susan. I do love you.
Tags: Family by --Deb
10 Comments »
Click here to subscribe via RSS
Follow me on Twitter!
Tannenbaum.
House Calls
