Coming back, but not entirely smoothly. Had a nice, very quiet birthday with my girls. Lots of good wishes from others, too. Susan came over and brought me a beautiful scarf and a bottle of white Zin (ha! Can't have alcohol with the antibiotic, but I'll enjoy it later.) Ellen made delicious veggie soup and we just had that with ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner (I had only soup). I had told the girls not to get a cake as we had the wonderful homemade cookie tray from the D.'s and every piece was incredibly yummy. Talked and laughed after. I turned in about 8:30--it's hard to get used to being so wiped out with just normal activity--and slept until 5:00.
Feel fairly okay--about 80percent, I guess. Dentist today; hope I can make it.

What a great time we had on little "T.'s" second birthday! No pool--it rained heavily most of the time--but we greatly enjoyed it anyway. As it turned out, J.'s friend couldn't come, so it was A. and M., J. and the little guys, as well as Lulu, of course. I made a big salad, slumphie stew, cheese and turkey cold cuts, rolls and pumpernickel bread, and a few sides. A. made a delicious cake and brought birthday hats, party blowers, balloons, and bubbles.
The last two, terrifically simple and inexpensive as they are, amused the children the most. After lunch we repaired to the porch and they blew bubbles, running after them, "catching" them back on their wands, and exclaiming over their longevity as they rose to the sky.
That sky was dark as night while the rain came down, and we finally started getting wet, so went into the garage. There, T. rode his new trike, big J. sat in an old office chair, and little J. alternated between that and Pat's wheelchair. They then traded off using that and at one point, they and their Dad played bumper cars with trike, office chair,and transport chair. It was wonderful to be with those two beautiful, sweet-natured boys and especially, to see the fun they have together and their evident love for each other.
Talked to Ellen later and we laughed over my tendency to ignore "expiration dates" This arose when J. noticed that the mustard container said, "Best before 6/19/01." Well, fer cryin' out loud, that's only eight years--it's fine!

The court date went okay. Ellen and I arrived early (naturally; being practically compulsive, I'm early for everything) in a driving rain. I talked to the prosecutor briefly, and the upshot was, the points were reduced from six (six!) to four. I have the idea that all my carefully structured "defense" (my apology, the letter from Pat's pulmologist attesting to my caregiver status, the receipt from his oxygen company, even my license, registration, and insurance cards) made no difference at all. The prosecutor was very pleasant and immediately lowered the points, the judge instructed me, I answered "yes," paid a $139 fine, and that was that. Alison thinks Allstate won't even raise my insurance, but I'll have to wait and see about that.
Rest of the day was fabulous. Ellen and I picked up the birthday cake she had ordered, then we went out looking for a Christmas tree. I wanted a small one this year and we found a beauty about 5 1/2 feet high at Home Depot. We asked the have some of the trunk removed, then bundled it in the back seat and took it home.
Thank heavens for Ellen! She secured the tree in the stand, put the lights on, vacuumed up the needles, and generally did most of the work. She and I added the ornaments and it looks just beautiful.
In the meantime, I received phone calls, e-mail messages, and in-person birthday greetings from Betty, brothers, cousins, friends, and Joel and Jen. Big packages arrived from both Asian contingents--what fun!
Alison breezed in about 5:00 after her last day at work (she starts with Special Services school district after New Year's) and the girls ordered out--Chinese for them and me, Italian for Pat. The four of us had a lovely, casual dinner, laughing a lot, of course. I had sweet and sour pork (can't believe I ate all of it), and a big slab of that luscious cake. We took pictures, giggling and acting silly, then I opened my presents.
Got a digital picture displayer (will explain in a later post), a wonderful outdoor jacket, a gift certificate for Kohl's, an outdoor pants and top set, and a lovely hanging Christmas ornament. Included in the box from the Tokyo Two was a beautiful, handmade Christmas card--my new daughter-in-law is so talented (so is my "old" DIL).
Anyway, it was a full and happy day. The girls left about 8:30 and I promptly went to bed, slept like a log, and got up this morning at 5:15. Today, I'm meeting the D.D.s at 10 am for a hike in the forest with the South Jersey Outdoor Club. Some of the members will go 7 to 10 miles, but Alison said she'd take Ellen and me just 2 or 3 . E. is staying over A.'s tonight, but may come back to our house today. Either way, we'll all be together again on Christmas Eve at A.'s and Christmas Day at our place.
Am I fortunate? Damn right. Do I know it? Absolutely and I must never forget.

Got an award (a brass key chain) from Weight Watchers for the 50-pound loss--very gratifying. I had picked up Leslie for WW and caught up with her doings. As we will, she and Dennis will have a quiet Christmas; their boys and families will come on Sunday.
Betty called early; she's back from Florida and had a ball. I'm sure we'll talk again today, as it's our shared birthday. How lucky we are to have each other!
Got up to Alison's about 1:00 and Ellen and I fell into each others' arms. Mike had taken the day off and showed me around the addition. Wow, it's terrific! I couldn't believe how big the remodeled living/dining room is now and the two new rooms and bath are beautiful. They moved their sofabed into one of the rooms, so Ellen had a private suite. The bathroom has a granite countertop, tile all around the tub, and a big oval mirror over the sink. The paint and trim in all areas came out great and there are enjoyable views out of every window. Some overlook their big backyard and stands of trees, and others frame similar scenes. Incidentally, all the windows are doubles; Alison and Mike like a lot of sunshine. The rooms aren't yet completely furnished, but they're set up with two big conversation areas and Alison is following a "rustic elegance" theme, perfect for the house and the woodsy setting.
Got back home about 3:00 and we've been having a ball with Ellen. We went to the supermarket, then cooked dinner together and talked and talked, of course. I'm so glad she'll be with me in court today--I'm really nervous. As this is my birthday, Ellen ordered a cake from a bakery in Manahawkin and we'll pick it up after my ordeal with the law--assuming I'm not incarcerated by then.
Do I have any philosophical thoughts or solemn advice for readers on this momentous day?
Hell, no.