My birthday was filled with kindness and joy. I woke up under the birthday quilt. Bill always remembers!
We got up early to go to 7 AM Mass. Unfortunately, the parish website (which Bill read) said daily Masses had resumed this week but the weekly newsletter (which he does not receive) said they would resume next week. Boohoo. We did not realize there was no Mass until we got there and there was not a soul in sight. This would have been my first Mass since we started sheltering in place but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
After visiting a newborn baby at the hospital and picking up my free birthday drink at Starbucks, we drove to Bloomington.
We picked up lunch from Laughing Planet. They made me such a good Greek burrito and really accommodated my request for extra spinach. We were lucky enough to find a parking place right in front and a bathroom in the café below. (Since Covid-19 hit, bathrooms are a real commodity! Many are closed to the public.)
A really dusty road led us to Charles C. Deam Wilderness, part of the Hoosier National Forest.
We parked next to the Hickory Ridge Fire Tower. We would have climbed to the top had it not been closed due to coronavirus.
The Sycamore Trail gave us an opportunity to explore oak-hickory woods scattered with tulip trees and old pine plantings.
We got to walk on pine needles which really offered a different foot feel. It was soft.
We hiked in for a while and then stopped to eat our burritos before continuing on. We carried water but would hae Between the 6.5 mile hike and the four hours driving, we had lots of time for insightful and dreamy conversations about the past, present and future.
On the way home, I received lots of birthday wishes, texts and calls. When my sweet parents called, they told me the story of the day I changed their lives, aka the day I was born. It’s so fun to hear the “he said, she said” version.
We got home late afternoon, showered and ordered dinner from Taj Mahal. Mason had cleaned the kitchen and set the trays for our arrival. Monique called at the perfect time and kept me company while Bill picked up our delayed order. The boys treated me to a family movie dinner complete with a Fast and the Furious flick.
I had a pile of presents, packages, cards and even a doorstep delivery of pansies. Bill asked when I was going to open them all and when I hesitated, he understood I didn’t want to my birthday to end. He lovingly suggested I wait until the next day.
I did make one exception. Laynie and Sophia put a lot of thought into my birthday package and they wanted me to open it right away. We had such a fun chat on FaceTime while I did.
And with that, my fairy tale day came to a close. My first fifty years have been pretty amazing. I feel grateful to have so many blessings and I hope to have many more wonderful years ahead.
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