Mary took this in Soho today

Barb's Birthday Bash continues....

First a photo from last night's party. Mary had made little goody bags of party favors (and yes, we all made fools out of ourselves wearing little pointy birthday hats...) but our bags had those old-fashioned wax lips... If there were a caption contest for this photo, I'd say "Cool it with the collagen, ladies!"

Jn back, that's hostess Barb and Mary, bottom row Michelle and me.

So a few more people were added to the mix tonight and the menu was RIBS -- lots of them!!

 

Here's my plate without the ribs (ribs followed, of course)... all homemade: potato salad, corn salad, cole slaw, baked beans and corn muffins. It really was all fantastic.

 

Then we played charades and my team lost -- well, they were losing when I left so maybe they had a comeback. I had "OJ Simpson" which was hard and then "House of Cards" which was way easier. I guessed "Murder She Wrote" in record time so it was fun, but we hadn't played in so long and all us talkative New Yorkers et al aren't used to being silent so it was tought to not use language.

 

Anyway, home again safe and sound.

Goodbye forever, Donald.

 

Barb's Birthday Bash

Michelle and Tom came from Texas; Mary came from DC and I came from the Upper East Side to Barb's place for a Pat, Barb, Michelle October birthday bash.

We had wonderfual fajitas, corn salad, chips and salsa. Mary made Rachel Ray's sangria which was wonderful.. wait, EVERYTHING was wonderful.

I also made a Jeopardy game where Michelle, Barb and Mary played... and Michelle, the dark horse, least money going into Final Jeopardy won.

Tom and Michelle brought a Trump pinata, complete with pinata stick, which we are going to hit later tonight (birthday bash goes on for two days.)

First time to meet Baby Teddy who really is a well-behaved and friendly pooch.

Barb's decorations

Our shared birthday cake -- cheesecake!

More decorations.



Barb keeping her distance from Donald

 

Adelyn Ready for Halloween

Milo Plotting

It's Milo's world and I just live in it and report it. So Mary called this "Milo's plan." (For those who haven't been in Mary's house, this is her front door and the one Milo made a beeline out of yesterday)

Milo's Adventure

Mary reports:

Milo has been a pretty laid back cat lately. His arthritis sometimes keeps him pretty sedentary. This afternoon I wanted some fresh air, and Fran was coming over, so I opened the door to the porch, then I barely opened the front door so it was just unlatched.  Milo was somewhere in the house. I sat on the couch for a few minutes and heard the wind kick up and the porch door shut. I went to open it and realized the front door had blown open. I looked around for Milo and didn't see him.  Looked on the porch and he wasn't there. The front door slammed shut. I was sort of panicked as I grabbed open the front door. There was Milo, walking up the steps toward me as if he does this all the time!  I don't know where he went but it couldn't have been far, and don't know why he came back so quickly but maybe he didn't like the wind.

He might be getting old, but he hasn't lost the wanderlust.

What I'm Reading

 

 

I'm about three-fourths through this book which is the memoir of a Secret Service agent from Eisenhower through Ford. Interesting to read the details of many historic moments that I remember but didn't really understand at the time. I'm up to the Nixon administration where he was put in charge of Spiro Agnew. Would recommend this book.

Autumn in DC

Mary says:

I think this tree changed color the same way last year. It's just down the block from me and on this sunny day it was so pretty. The first picture is looking up into the tree.

Birthday Week Ends

It began with lobster rolls and ended with lobster rolls...

Barbara came over for my birthday luncheon. We ordered from the lobster roll place where you get fries and cole slaw included. So we had identical meals and figured out (well, Barbara did) that the reason the fries stay crispy in transit is that the restaurant puts them in a little brown paper bag which drains some of the grease and lets the steam out. It was as delicious as I remember. We both wanted to slow down to prolong the meal.

Lobster roll, cole slaw and french fires - crispy and salty and hand-cut.

But wait there's more! No cupcakes today, but rather cheesecake from Two Little Red Hens. I like the gooey cherry food-like product on top, and Barbara got hers plain. The bottom crust is so good in that it's not just mashed down graham crackers, but cookie like... so you could break off a piece. God, this was good!

Birthday Recap

But first, Happy Birthday to Stephanie whose birthday I share and I can merrily reveal she is one year older

than I am. We used to co-celebrate by going out for Mexican food so I did hold to that tradtion by going out to Long Island and my sister's family and I went to Besito and we all had this tableside-made guacamole that is so good and the chips are so fresh and so hot that they smelled like popcorn. Oh were they good. I had this shrimp special which was shrimp, mushrooms, garlic and other stuff.

Then we went back to my sister's hourse, and I got lovely presents... this very cool scarf from Charlotte, one of those infinity scarves... so I have one cool with-it accessory... then Louisa gave me a mug and Clark gave me this ice maker where you make this big ice ball instead of using cubes and I saw something on tv about it, how it cools more and melts less. Here's one the cards ehich I love which speaks to my hatred of mice:

In case you can't tell, it's a mouse holding a gun waiting for the mouse to come out of its hole.

But my "main gift" as we say in our family, tongue in cheek, is a beautfiul opal bracelet from Scott and Mary. Opal is my birthstone, really a lovely piece where this does not do it justice:

So now I'm 66 and as my buddy Mac says, "It's better than that long dirt nap." And it is.

Beginning of Birthday Weekend

Lane stopped by for dinner on her way from Massachusetts back to DC, and we had a great dinner. We ordered lobster rolls; she had stopped at Two Little Red Hens for carrot cake cupcakes and brought a bottle of proseco. I drank two glasses, the most alcohol I've had in months and got ever so lightly buzzed.

For my birthday, she brought me a beautiful flowering plant,, the candle below that has a glass base with loose stones and she told me she has one and the friend who gave her her candle said that the stones represent all the people who love you and you are the light in the middle.

She also gave me this beautiful handknitted shawl which was made by a ladies' ministry where her mother lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The shawl came with this card:

Dear Friend,

This is a prayer shawl -- your wings to take you above your troubles. Wrap it around you when you're sad, happy, needing comfort, cold, ill, worried, at peace, needing answers, have no questions, ministering, socializing or praying.

The stitches have been knit in a pattern of three to represent the Trinity. This wrap has been blessed by the hands and intentions of the knitter. It holds many prayers and good wishes.

As you wear this shawl, may you be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in love.

"May the Lord bless and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

With many blessings,
The Prayer Shawl Ministry Knitter
Old North Church of Marblehead

I'm wearing it now and feeling peaceful.

And the photos:

The candle which we lit for dinner. YOu can't really see, but the little glass stones are white and blue.

Lobster roll and cole slaw for dinner

Carrot Cake Birthday Cake

The creator of the party, Lane