birthday — Page 18

It’s Here

November 21, 2012 at 8:02 am by Claudia

Six years old. I proudly wore my pink-checked dress with my faux wrist watch. Obeying my mother’s instructions, I made sure that my dimple faced the camera. Oh yes, I had strict instructions about that sort of thing.

Today I am 10 times six. How can that be?

I am still that little girl, as well as the teenager and the college student and the camp counselor and the graduate student and the actress and the professor and the coach. I am so many things, so many ages, so many experiences. Like everyone else, I don’t feel my age. I feel like I’m in my thirties. And this number – this 60 – unsettles me.

I have no choice but to accept it.

But there’s a voice inside me that says: I can’t be 60! I’m still starting out! I’m still finding my path! I don’t even know what I want to do when I grow up! Wait, let me back up and start over!

Do you know that feeling?

Anyway. It’s here. The dreaded but actually not-so-dreaded day. I will officially be 60 around 5:30 pm.

I could just say it is my birthday and not acknowledge my age – but what the heck – I will proudly own it.

I miss my mother’s birthday phone call – her daily life in a nursing home is a sort of blur. I doubt very much that she’s even aware that it’s my birthday.

I miss my older brother, who died when he was 44. I’ve had so many birthdays he never had the chance to experience.

Scout is in the hospital. She ran a fever yesterday, wouldn’t eat and got progressively worse, so we took her in. They are keeping her to give her fluids and antibiotics. Whether this is all due to Lyme disease or something else, I don’t know. Her back legs were collapsing and she was shaking from the fever and my heart broke as we left her there. The bloodwork, by the way, came back normal.

Last night, the house felt empty. Nothing seemed right without her. Don kept saying, ” I miss my daughter. I want her home.” Today I came downstairs and there was no sweet girl to greet me.

I just want her well again and home with us where we can hold her in our arms and tell her how much we love her.

Sort of a bittersweet birthday, this particular November 21st.

Happy Wednesday.

On Duty

November 20, 2012 at 9:41 am by Claudia

My view yesterday. And most likely, today. I stationed myself in the living room with Scout and kept her company all day. Don had to go into the city, so I drove him to the bus station so that I had the car, if necessary. There’s not a whole lot new to report. Scout did perk up and get hungry yesterday and I managed to sneak some antibiotics into her food. Though she slept most of the day, when Don came in the door after a being gone all day, she did a couple of her pounces and spins, which was heartening. But she sounds terrible. Her already heavy breathing is heavier. She’s now coughing a bit and sneezing. And she threw up again this morning, which, I think, is due to the antibiotics. They may just be too strong for her.

We will know the results of the blood work sometime today and go from there. We may need x-rays. Ironically, I had just paid off our previous vet bills last Friday. Ha Ha! Got you! says the Universe.

I’m nervous but am praying and visualizing my girl as the whole, perfect, healthy creation she is. To top it all off, Don had a sleepless night last night with so much tossing and turning that I fled downstairs to the sofa in the den.

Birthday tomorrow. Thanksgiving on Thursday. I really don’t care all that much about either of them. The best birthday present would be Scoutie taking a huge turn for the better. That’s all I need. (And, of course, Mabel, the Featherweight, was my early birthday present.)

I’m listing a scarf today in the Etsy shop. It’s in silk and bamboo and the color is a bit deeper than this photo indicates. It is so soft and silky to the touch. I guarantee it. And it’s my favorite shade of purple. And I have another one on the way, which you can see in the first photo. Update: Sold to Charlotte. That was fast!

Happy Tuesday.

An Early, Early Birthday Present

September 17, 2012 at 8:41 am by Claudia

First of all, Don’s been playing with Picnik. Yesterday, I checked my email to find this:

Could he be any more adorable? Gosh darn it, what a cutie he is.

In that same vein (Don = cutie) we needed to get out of the house yesterday, so we traveled up the road to a favorite antique shop. I found some fabulous vintage fabric, a little dollhouse chair – I’ll share them with you another day – and something else. I hit the brakes when I spied this something in a booth on the floor. Shall I give you some clues?

I’ve written about my love of this ‘invention’ many times on this blog.
I’ve been honest about my jealousy of others who own one of these.
I’m even more jealous when these bloggers own more than one.
I used one for a period of 6 months a few years back. (A friend let me borrow hers while I was working in San Diego.)
That experience made me an even bigger fan than I already was.

If you’re a long-time reader, you might have guessed. I’m going to delay the reveal just a moment longer.

Interestingly, I had actually planned to write a post for today with 3 potential presents I would like to receive for my big birthday (in November.) The 3 things were: a cordless drill, this item or a new DSLR, all of which I want and, yes, need. I was going to say that I would be happy with any one of these items and that, given our finances, I would probably get the cordless drill. Totally fine with me.

But when I saw this, and went on and on about it, Don and I decided it would be the perfect birthday present. I’m just getting it early. Okay, no more delays, here it is:

Eek! A Singer Featherweight! Be still my heart. Isn’t she gorgeous? She’s in great shape.

I mean, look at her….

All of the gold decals are intact. The paint looks pretty pristine. There are the usual faint scratches from pins, etc.

She was made in New Jersey in May of 1953. We’re awfully close in age. Now you have an even bigger hint as to what particular birthday is coming up.

She has that Art Deco looking face plate. And she came with a lot of the original attachments.

That motor lubricant has no cap and looks a bit nasty. I’ll keep it, anyway; it should be on display.

And she came with a case.

Of course, she smells musty, as does her case. Every Featherweight I’ve ever encountered smells musty. I guess when all those new-fangled sewing machines came out, the trusty Featherweights were stored in attics. Any tips for getting rid of that smell?

Gee whiz, I love her.

She needs a name. And I need your suggestions. Would you leave a comment with a suggestion or two?

Happy Monday.

It’s Here

On Duty

An Early, Early Birthday Present

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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