Shoveling and Leroy's Birthday

Hello,

Today is Leroy’s birthday. I am proud of myself for thinking about it before he had to drop some hints. I know, I know that it is amazing that I am not good with this sort of thing, but I am not.

Usually I make a cherry pie rather than a cake since he likes that better. I asked, “Would you like a cherry pie? I have the ingredients.” At that point there was no assurance that we would be able to get to a store.

“It seems like too much just for the two of us. What else do you have?” he wanted to know.

His birthday treat is a cake that is really pumpkin bread (minus ¾ of the sugar and minus ¾ of the oil) but in a 9x13 pan. It was ready at noon so we put candles in, called Miriam, and asked her and her girls to sing “Happy Birthday”, only to learn that she was at work so would not sing at all.

“Dad has 22 candles in his cake since that is all we found,” we told her. Even as we talked one candle started tilting and then another.

“Oh no the bottom of the candles are melting in the warm cake,” I wailed, “Blow them out fast Leroy.”

Leroy got them all blown out, but not before much wax was melted into the cake.

“Did you take the cake right out of the oven and put in candles?” Miriam laughed. She knows I never fool much with birthdays, cakes, or birthday candles. So I am ignorant. It does not take much to get ahead of me.

“Well maybe it had been ten minutes,” I calculated. Consequently I now know that is too soon, but will I remember? That is doubtful since it will probably not happen for years.

This morning we looked out to a driveway that had been plowed. We are grateful even if we did have to dig out the area in front of the garage. When I did some personality study I learned that I like to do things the hard way. In spite of that I do appreciate machines. Leroy has spent some time shoveling the drive to get it down to the pavement so it can melt better. I also went out and took out some more of the pile by the garage so we can more easily get both cars out. I think this pile was about three feet high and packed solidly together. Then it was maybe about three feet wide and fifteen feet long. Guess that makes up for the lack of exercise since we did not walk this morning at minus ten degrees F. As I was moving that pile in the afternoon I worked up a sweat and took off my coat, but then it was now 20 degrees above zero. How many million snow flakes do you think we moved? We should make a banner and proclaim millions moved in one afternoon. We are good to go.

Paula