Getting Old in Isolation

Memories of my earlier birthdays, ages 4 and 5; I recall that I seemed to always get a painful ear ache that ended the party early. 

Many years have passed and my health has been fine on my birthday and the celebrations have been more than less to my satisfaction. The second half of my life, my wife has worked harder every year to out-do the previous year's extravagant, flaming creation. 

Time passes and things change. No wife, no cake, no fire marshal to approve the concentration of 64 candles on a cake. This year I'm living in a trailer down by the river during record rainfall in the sodden Pacific Northwest. The rain comes down, the river rises and my sister Wendy has a place 34 miles up the road. Wendy says, "Hey big Bro - it's your birthday! We've got a cake and party planned for you, c'mon up."

It's an invitation to leave my tiny trailer and the rising water to celebrate making it this far in life. When Elvis, Karen Carpenter and George Harrison were this age, they were dead. Life is short, eat dessert first. 

The somewhat semi-official 'Elephant Cake' was created and given but a few candles to saddle. Funny hats were passed around and I had three gifts to open. I got a package of almond roca from sister Sheri, a emergency space blanket from Wendy and Barth and a box of goodie treats from my wife.

We ate pizza, we ate cake and times were good enough for an old guy. 

I took the extra parts of the chocolate elephant back to the trailer to eat for dessert after a meal of almond roca and left over pizza. 

As always: Enjoy the Journey.