It's My Birthday

As is our custom, my parents, the Ducks and I went to dinner last evening. This is the fourth year in a row but the first time the Duck drove, and it was the Susie's car. Everything was fine until we left the restaurant and on the freeway we were greeted by a blizzard. In Tennessee! I was just a little bit uneasy but there is just one thing I'll give the Duck credit for: He's a good driver. Otherwise, it was a lovely dinner just the five of us like every other year. Actually, there was one difference -- we had the worst server known to God. Twice during the evening I was thoroughly put out but w/ Daddy one one side of me and my mom on the other I was completely persona non grata -- no ifs, ans or buts about it. In the presence of my parents, rarely am I encouraged to join conversation (Daddy gives me this look almost every time I start to say something), or God forbid voice a bad opinion! It's enough that my appearance must first be approved before I'm permitted to go anywhere w/ them ... *sigh* So I did as I always do: I just sat quietly watching the traffic and snowflakes fall outside. I was a good girl -- but nothing less would be tolerated. Sometimes I just want to but of course that would be frowned upon -- to say the least. Sometimes I just get so tired ... of being alive. Anyway, happy birthday to me.

It's been snowing off and on here for three days. Friday was a lovely day for me! I had to go to Jackson to see Cindi, I ran some errands, I fueled Lovey -- that wasn't much fun, she was down to ¼ of a tank and it cost me $31.50 to fill her -- but when I got out of Cindi's office it was snowing hard! I was so happy! That was around 3.00 pm and on my way back I stopped at Wally World to pick up a few things. I could believe how many people were in that store! I didn't know there were that many people in this entire town! It seems if there's even a whisper of a snowflake in the news they all pour out to "stock up in case they're snowed in for a week!" I couldn't believe it. Everywhere I looked there were empty shelves so naturally I flew all the way to the back of the store to grab my necessities: MILK. There was plenty of whole milk but I had just a teeny issue w/ the chocolate milk: Only one gallon left and I spied it at the same time another female did. She opened the cooler door but I nudged her cart w/ mine, shoved her out the way and nailed my chocolate milk. Folks are far too polite and kind down here to actually say something crude but she did give me the Stink Eye. I ignored her. I had my milk. So it snowed until midnight and we got all of 3" on the ground, but the streets remained clear. This is an actual local photo: Frightening, isn't it? So it snowed a little yesterday and again this evening but it didn't amount to much. That's okay. This made me very, very happy. It won't last. This week the temps will be in the 60s.

There are three TV shows I really do not enjoy missing, and one was on tonight: OH! It was a particularly good episode tonight! The second one is on Tuesday nights, Boston Legal: What's odd about this is, I never liked James Spader in anything until I saw him first on The Practice, and now Boston Legal. I always thought him somewhat of a wuss but clearly he's an excellent actor, and I feel he's really spread his wings in the past few years. And then the third show is of course Survivor: (Yes Sharmy, I FOUND IT and no one can delete my image hosting account again!) That one's on Thursday night and Daddy and I always watch it together, while we munch on popcorn -- which I don't much care for but he adores. But it's tradition for us, one of our Daddy/Daughter activities.

I'm exhausted and it's almost not my birthday anymore but I want to thank my parents for being my parents. I love them dearly, more and more every single day.