It’s the cats’ birthdays today. Mine was yesterday. Birthday week is now over.
Fritter and Maura were born five years ago. Facebook shared a memory with me today – a 25 second video of Three licking infant Maura clean. Little did she know she’d be doing that thrice more for Futatsuyama, Calico #3 (later Isabella Bird) and finally Fritter. But she did and I am grateful to her for her efforts.
Today, Maura and Fritter enjoyed the sun, took naps, and got extra treats at dinner. No cake though. Beryl’s honorary birthday is today, too, to make things easier and fair with birthday treats.
My birthday yesterday was a good one and full of unexpected presents. Immediately after finishing yoga (the Birthday Plank class), the door bell rang. It was Shimizu-san dropping off a coffee mug with a sweet message. I poured coffee into it right away and then Tod surprised me with gifts of chocolates and a Molskine notebook. In the afternoon, Ishida-san handed me a bag of nabana, strawberries came from the Kawasakis, and Ushimura-san gave me a foraging guide book.
My actual birthday activities were mundane but excellent self-care: I cleaned mouse blood off the carpet, hung up a poster for our upcoming flea market, and started the US taxes. Dull, but I did it in style.
I found things in my closet with special meaning to make a nice witch’s outfit: a shawl hand-knitted by an old friend, the lockets my parents gifted me on graduation from high school and college, a ring I designed that I had my jewelry instructor make for my 40th birthday, and in one pocket I carried a kyanite palm stone in the shape of a heart. Simple, meaningful, and imbued with memories through my life.
My day began with a sunrise walk looking at flowers and ended not long after a beautiful sunset. For dessert, I put together a trifle with the failed cupcakes from March 29th, my birthday strawberries, and a custard that never quite set up. Eaten in bed before 8 pm.
That’s how 58 started. Looking forward to seeing how it goes on.
