Birthday Theme

The day after my birthday, I received two birthday cards in the mail from friends here in town.
There's a theme to the cards.
First this one from Deb. She knows me so well.

Yes, Paris. And, yes, my hair would have to be well-behaved, which it never is in France because I don't have a French-compatible  hairdryer or straightener.

The next card was from my running friend Noreen. You remember her. She had breast cancer a few years ago and ran our running group into the ground proving that she was healthier than us. And she is!
Here's the card she sent.

Inside it says, "Oh yeah, like if you had magic shoes, you'd go to Kansas." I thought that was hilarious.
I'm clicking my heels and feeling better today.
Then Tuesday evening, I heard the UPS truck pull up and slide a package across the porch. I wasn't expecting anything, but Earl went to retrieve it. A box of macarons from Pistacia Vera, a terrific bakery in German Village here in Columbus. My running friend Pam, who moved away, sent the macarons. There are flavors of pistachio, vanilla bean, lemon, strawberry, mocha... Too many to name.

This afternoon, I was kind of wallowing in my flu symptoms after I had to stop taking the Tamiflu because of a reaction. My face swelled and the skin around my eyes got pink, dry and itchy. As soon as I stopped taking the Tamiflu, my headache and coughing came back full force.
I had some errands to run that I couldn't get out of, and while thinking how bad I felt, a song came on that helped  me change my attitude.

I've made it my ringtone now.
I came home, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and cooked chicken breast which I made into a delicious chicken salad with sliced grapes and apples and served on croissants.
Now I'm going to have a glass of wine and relax, knowing I'll feel cheerier every time my phone rings.

A Cascade of Cards

I have a birthday -- a milestone birthday -- coming up this week. And all month my running friends (mostly Pam) have been deluging me with birthday cards.

And some not-birthday cards. As the cards started to arrive in the mail, I felt guilty. I mean, was Pam buying the cards, plus shelling out for the postage? Even at the dollar store, that would get expensive.
Some of the cards weren't about birthdays, like this one that shows a horse biting the back of a boy's head.

Or this one with the bulldog watching the goldfish.

Inside each card, no matter if the message was about the loss of a pet or getting well, my upcoming birthday was mentioned.
Today a card arrived that congratulated me on the birth of my baby, and Pam wrote "Sorry I'm late." Only 16 years too late since my youngest is 16! But, as you can imagine, it made me laugh.
The card below seemed very appropriate for my arrival smack dab in the middle of middle age, with an adorable toddler who looks better with the pudgy thighs than I do.

After Pam confessed she was behind the cards, along with Stephanie, she admitted that, getting ready to move, she discovered a closet full of cards she had bought through the years intending to send to friends and loved ones. That's why the cards had a variety of sentiments rather than just birthday cards. Pam helped me feel less guilty about all the money she might have spent on cards just to make me smile.
Thanks, friends for the birthday wishes and all the birthday cards that have kept my mailbox full every day of my birthday month.