To say the last few weeks have been jammed packed with fun and frivolity is truly an understatement. When I wrote last, hundreds of seedlings were to be left in the loving care of the Angel of the Aluminum Cloud. (Again, thank you with all our hearts) My new husband was leaving one decade of life to enter the next. We were ready to sail away on The Love Boat and then return home to receive our new family of bees. All of the above happened and have brought us to today. (And don’t forget to add 2023 Taxes to the mix).
This week, I plan to cover all those topics, filling you in on the details. But, first, you must know that as I write, I’m recovering from a bit of a bug. Sometimes, life throws a virus in the way. It caught up to my Hubba-Hubba-Hubby and me after we’d safely returned back home. We’re still not 100%, but improving daily.
In early March, HHH and I were busily preparing for our upcoming vacation. HHH was sad to leave his sexagenarian years, even when reminded he’d be a brand new septuagenarian. He wasn’t having it and felt a little down about the entire situation..
Months before, we’d decided that a cruise on The Love Boat would be an appropriate gift. Unfortunately, the cruise sailing the week of his birthday was sold out. Knowing his celebration would start a week AFTER his birthday, he never suspected there were other plans in the making. One week before the big day, Miss Wookie gave me the gift of time by demanding a trip to California for a big date with her Puppy-Daddy. With snowy weather complicating the trip, HHH would travel over Donner Pass and leave me with time alone to plan his Surprise 70th Birthday Party.
Now, a man with four brothers that text daily is a man from which secrets are hard to keep. I must hand it to our family. Everyone did their part to keep his party a big surprise. While making two trips to drop Wookie off and pick her up a few days later, there’d be time to drop off invitations, order food, and plan how I’d get him out of the house. Even our minister and church family were in on the surprise.
One of my more Lucille Ball moments involved the dining room. With hundreds of seedlings under four bright grow lights, I knew I needed to change things up. Plants growing on the dining room table for weeks would be moved to make room for guests.
Explaining the move would be easy enough. Wives change their minds and move things all the time. The big problem would be putting in an extra leaf by myself. The table is extremely heavy and it takes two people to pull it apart. With hours ticking until HHH would be back home from Cali, I came up with a brilliant plan.
With the seedlings moved, I went into action. Laying under the table, I deployed my leg muscles to push the table apart, while holding it steady with my arms. Hilarious, but effective. The leaf was in. Now, would he notice the table was expanded for a party?
Rotation! A great method of camouflage.
The most hilarious thing is that it worked. With a different tablecloth, in a different location, he never noticed. I said things had looked messy so I moved the seedlings. He accepted that and turned on the TV. End of worry.
As the birthday came closer, things became a little more gloomy. With the cruise more than two weeks away, it seemed his true birthday would come and go without even a candle. No one seemed to have time to celebrate, while being very, very quiet. Everyone had other plans on that day. I assured him that I had a special surprise for his big day.
That special day came and I announced that I’d be driving him to the town just to the west for…..lunch. Not even a special SPA day. Just LUNCH. I could sense his disappointment. All the while, Ninja Neighbor and her pal were waiting for us to drive away so they could decorate. HHH’s daughter was busy in her kitchen creating his custom birthday cake. Other family members were making potato and macaroni salad and picking food up from the caterer. Everyone had cleared schedules to be at Winterpast at 4 PM for the big party. The minister spread the word to our church family and everyone was ready.
In fact, I did treat HHH to a most wonderful lunch at his favorite seafood restaurant at our favorite hotel. The gambling gods smiled at him while we were killing time, giving him a nice jackpot on a Buffalo slot machine. All in all, it would have been the perfect birthday if that’s all I’d planned. But there was so much more to come.
Driving up to Winterpast, HHH was so surprised he was almost speechless. Cars lined the street and drive. A big banner waved in the breeze. The late afternoon party was complete with family, friends, our minister, and plenty of love for HHH. Everything couldn’t have gone better.
The guests enjoyed visiting. Everyone was amazed at our grow room complete with the seedlings. One guest was worried that we had a problem with mold, as hundreds of little seedlings give off an earthy odor. Once they saw the source of the smell, they understood. A few people took free seedlings. It was a party HHH and I will never forget.
As for Wookie and her date with her Cali-Love, it appears things went well. Her appetite and growing tummy tell us that soon, Wooklets will be adding to the fun here at Winterpast.
It takes a lot more than a silly virus to keep happiness away. Every married couple has shared chicken soup, orange juice, and a large blankie while battling the common cold. As the spring days unfold, we’ll soon be back outside putting our little seedlings into the ground.
Whatever you do today, take time to be thankful for the health that you enjoy. If your coughing, you can be grateful you don’t have shingles. It’s the small things in life that we sometimes overlook. Remember to celebrate the good things in life.
More tomorrow.