Monday, May 4, 2009

Birthday in May

So I celebrated my birthday late. It was supposed to be in April, but that didn't turn out to be convenient. But since it's actually in December (week before Christmas - such a dark and stressful time of year) and I moved it to April several years ago, I figure can have it whenever I want. Not my birthday - just my family's celebration of it. Hot dogs on the grill, eating outside, flowers in the gardens... After 40+ years of celebrating within days of the shortest day, I went for something different. So here we are in our "front room" which looks west to the afternoon sun, up our cul-de-sac. The circle is so often full of kids on wheels of some kind - skates, scooters, skateboards, bikes (with and without training wheels). It's amazing. Our street (our neighbors) are amazing. Hotdogs are on the grill off to the right, and we're getting them off as we eat them.

Here is my stack of presents from Dearest. She knows what kind of paper I like - colorful. We all like the animal paper - sold to us as part of a scout or school fund raiser by the boy next door. We carefully cut it off presents and re-use it on other presents. It makes favorite paper last a long time, getting smaller and smaller until they end their usefulness on a CD or a small toy... Other paper we rip! Well, some of us do.

This is what was inside. The Complete Paintings of Vincent Van Gogh and the Guide to Drawing the Head... Sometimes I like to let loose and paint like a child - other times I want to use technique I don't possess. This is to try for more of the latter. We'll see what happens. I'm impressed with the details I see in this book. The CDs are some expected and some surprises. I will stash these, since I'm still enjoying the newness of my Edward McKay heap. The lamp, a design from Provence, was a complete surprise.

Here's the lamp lit inside later in the evening. We're going to enjoy this in several settings, I think - inside and outside. The candle holder comes out the bottom, making it easy to light the candle and put in into the lamp without getting soot on the glass. It's a lovely design, and a pleasant surprise - something quite unexpected and I loved getting it.

And since my children say they no longer know my age, because I've confused myself and everyone else about it, I got "whatever" for the number of candles. Actually this very fudgy brownie (I'm not usually a chocolate dessert guy - but I've been craving this brownie recipe lately) was still pretty warm from the oven, and it would have melted the candles. So I got the birthday train (yay!) and that means six candles no matter what age you are.

For those who need to know these things, I was 48 last December.

In the evening we watched X-Men III. I love Ian Mckellen as Magneto, and he gets to chew up a lot of scenery in this movie. My favorite moment might be when he smiles and turns away after the woman locks the car door...

16 comments:

lisahgolden said...

Happy spring birthday! That's a great set of thoughtful gifts. Your Dearest is so good to you.

L'Adelaide said...

happy birthday steve...i love that lantern and all the books so if you get tired of them, i'd be willing to give them a good home ;) !!

ps: i think you are pretty spoiled getting to have your bday whenever you want!

Genie Sea said...

Happy New Birthday Steve! What an amazing celebration! :) I wish you many many years of more :)

Steve Emery said...

Lisa, Linda, and Genie - Thank you all, and I am indeed pretty spoiled and very lucky. Some of that luck I make myself, but most of it is made by others. Some of it is made by you and other friends like you...

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday!

Campbell Jane said...

Happy Birthday. That's too funny moving your birthday. I think I'll try that mine always falls on Father's day! haha

susan said...

Many Happy Returns of The Day, Steve. Whatever day you choose for your birthday is bound to be a good one.

cheryl @ mandala oasis said...

Happy Birthday Steve! Oh..to be surrounded by family and friends, hanging out in the backyard..the ease of it all...what a wonder-filled birthday! Enjoy!! And..I'm so glad you visited my blog - and I like that term "free symetry"; that describes them to a "T". The winding non-linear road is how I'm wired.

I look forward to visiting you again...and you're welcome to my Mandala Oasis anytime :) ~Blessings.. Cheryl

Life As I Know It Now said...

happy birthday! looks like you got some cool presents. I may have to steal this idea and have my birthday in a different season ;)

DebD said...

Happy birthday to you! I also have a winter birthday and I like your idea of switching it. Loved the pictures.

giggles said...

Yes, Happy spring birthday!!!

(And I just noticed that you added yourself as a follower! I am indeed quite flattered. Thank you! And I love, Love, LOVE your avatar!!) (Anxiously awaiting fish/bird to frame... I know. It's in the mail!)

Unknown said...

Oh, I think this may be my favorite post of yours ever. And that's saying a lot about it, since I love lots of your posts.

I love it. Love it. That you changed to your birthday celebration to suit you. I happen to love the timing of my own birthday, early in July; but SG2 was born a week before Christmas. It is a stressful time. We always managed to have a separate celebration for her; that was just her own but the holiday always managed to creep in there somehow: either little dreidels for the treat bags and candy canes for decorations.

Come to think of it, I haven't recently asked her how she feels about the timing of her birthday. I will have to share your story with her. I think she would really enjoy this post. Though it may be a touch sad because SG2 was the child who took it harder that her parents split up.

I'm so awed and proud of you guys. Staying together was a mutual goal we were unable to realize. I'm always so happy for people when they can.

Oh, and happy birthday! It looks like a great celebration. That lantern is great. Your family is very thoughtful in getting you things that are important to you.

Love,
Gina

Steve Emery said...

Wow, everyone, what a lot of wonderful things were said here! I hope you all feel inspired to do something crazy with your own birthday - this has been good for me the last several years.

Giggles - it just went in the mail today! I have one more to mail.

Gina - Thank you so much for the length of this post, and all your thoughts here. I wonder if I share an actual B'Day with SG2 - mine's the 18th...

Rowena said...

Happy *mumble* Birthday. It looks like a wonderful day.

I love the front room and the hotdogs and the family traditions, even if the tradition is to do away with tradition and make your day fit you.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

Happy Birthday!

I have a friend whose birthday is Christmas Day and I often send her birthday gifts 6 months from her birthday so they won't get lost int he Christmas rush.

My mother-in-law's birthday is the 27th and they don't exchange Christmas gifts, but I always bring her a gift and say it is for her "birthday!"

It looks like you had a nice celebration. You like light and you represent it well in your work, so it is fitting that you should have more of it.

Jul said...

Happy birthday celebration! I love the idea of celebrating when you want to. I would have loved to do that as a kid, when my late-December birthday meant combined birthday-Christmas presents.