Ready or Not, Here Comes 44!

Thursday is my birthday. I'll be 44 years old. My age doesn't bother me...it's just a number. I'm pretty healthy, except for that little thyroid problem & this cold I've been fighting for 3 weeks, I've got a good job, I've got a great husband & kids, nice home, nice cars, interesting hobbies and interests...my life is actually pretty good for the most part.

I find I'm not really interested in presents this year...I've got more than enough stuff & the means to buy more stuff if I really want it or need it. I'll be happy with cards, phone calls, Facebook posts...but there's stuff that I really want to do on my birthday.

I want to go to Zumba. I haven't been able to work out since I got this cold 3 weeks ago...that's a long time for me to go without a workout. So this week, regardless of the hacking cough, I'm going back to Curves & Zumba. Thursday morning I'm going to start out my day with a Zumba class.

Then I want to go to the yarn shop and fondle the yarns. I love to go to this place and just feel the different yarns. I may indulge a little & buy some specialty yarns that I wouldn't normally splurge for, but mostly I just like to walk around this little shop and FEEL the different yarns. I guess I'm a pretty tactile person, I love the different textures.

Then, I'm going out to the shelter to walk dogs...yes, on my birthday. I really can't tell you how much I love going to the shelter and walking the dogs. It's very therapeutic for me. I like being around the animals, who just want to be around me. They really don't ask anything from me except my presence. The last three weeks while I've been sick, I haven't been able to walk the dogs like I normally do. Also, the shelter has been very full. Mostly they've been getting either play time, or just potty break walks. They don't care, they're still happy to see me. I love that about them.

Last, but not least, I want to go to Charleston to Fisherman's Grotto, for my birthday dinner and eat fish & chips. This will be the perfect end to my day.

This might all seem pretty mundane, and I admit it's probably not the most exciting way to spend a day, but you know what, I'm usually going 100mph all day on my days off and the days I work. A day just to do the things that I want to do, things that I find relaxing & stimulating at the same time, sounds like just the thing for my 44th birthday.

Signs of Spring

Just some small signs of spring that have been sprouting around my yards and planters...now if I could just get over this darn cold.

Parts

You hear a lot of stuff about parts of people that they'd like to change...heck, plastic surgeons make the majority of their money off people who want to change their parts. Me, personally, I don't think I'd go in for plastic surgery short of something cautastrophic happening & being disfigured.

My worst looking parts are my feet. I have really ugly feet. I have an extra high instep, and short, fat, sausage looking toes. Plus, I like to run around barefoot, so I have callouses on the bottoms, my little toes have huge callouses on the sides, so they look totally misshapen, and my big toes get ingrown toenails all the time-I have a genetic pre-disposition to them-thanks Dad.

It's easy to hide my feet, just wear shoes & socks, and for most of the year that works. But there is some time during the summer when sandals are more comfortable. My trade off here is to wear moccasins.

I really don't spend a lot of time fretting about my feet. They are what they are. I am glad that my kids seem to have gotten their dad's feet though.

By far my best feature is my hands. I have nice, long fingers. When I grow my nails out they look really elegant. Pictured is my hands after their first, and so far only, manicure from last July. I would like to get another one done, but lately money's been a little tight, so I can wait until I'm a little ahead for the next one.

My hands are on the large size-again thank you Dad, but they're not out of proportion for the rest of me...I'm not dainty, I come from good, sturdy, peasant stock. I wish my hands had the ability to play a musical instrument, but so far that's eluded me. I might try again with the violin, but this time I'm going to buy a good one.

My hands are good at creating. I do several crafts, but mostly crochet. I get a lot of pleasure from this, and I've been doing some good with the skill also. They're also strong, which is good for gardening, another favorite hobby. They've also had the pleasure of holding my babies when they were born, and my husband through some good times & some not so good times. They've comforted little children, animals, and even my parents. They've also played several sports, some better than others, and never anywhere near a professional level, but always for fun. They've typed thousands, possibly millions of words, and probably written just about the same amount.

They are not without their flaws. I have a scar on the side of left index finger middle knuckle from a mishap w/a pocket knife. Middle finger on my left hand used to have a crescent shaped birthmark on the pad, but it's faded as I've gotten older. I've got a scar on palm of my right hand from tripping over a glass soda bottle and then landing on it when I was a kid, and a couple of freckles on the back of it almost dead center. I've got some mild calluses on both hands, but I wear gloves more faithfully now, so they not as pronounced as they once were. But you know, my hands are just about 44 years old now, overall they are holding up well.

Of course, my hands couldn't get anywhere w/out my feet...