Thursday, October 8, 2009 9:35 PM CDT
COLUMN: If you love me, you'll conjure me up a peppermint pie and a rainy day for my birthday
By Penny Weaver, News Editor
pweaver @jg-tc.com
We asked my cousin one time, when we all were kids, what his favorite song was. He began to sing a familiar tune:
“Happy birthday ...”
Naturally, we giggled for several minutes over that — we five girls ranging in age from 12 to 6 probably practically smothering this one brave male relative, who was about 10, in feminine silliness. He was a good sport.
October is a month just chock-full of birthdays in my family.
Not including cousins’ milestones, my niece Stephanie soon turns 7; two days later, my sister Val (Steph’s mom) reaches 35; and my nephew, Tyler, turns 4 the same day that I hope to make it to 39 this year.
PAR-TY!
I guess I’m different than most people — now there’s a revelation, huh? — because I look forward to birthdays. Getting older doesn’t bother me — gosh, what difference would it make if it did? A person doesn’t have much choice.
Ain’t none of us gettin’ any younger, that’s for sure (my apologies for the use of incorrect English to all of my former teachers).
I think it’ll be cool to be 40 next year. As my mom says, “It’s just a number.” The only thing I fear is that one of these days, I suppose I’ll have to start acting like a grownup. Now that is scary.
What bothered me about my age was when I was younger — I couldn’t stand being looked down upon as a “kid” due to my youth. Older people often dismiss the ideas, suggestions, wants and needs of the younger set, and that was always one of my pet peeves.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” they’d say wisely, as if each of them was a sage old man in some village, stroking his long beard while he sat in deep thought.
Whatever, dude. Keep your condescension to yourself.
I try hard not to do the same thing now to younger folks. Everyone’s viewpoint should be at least appreciated — not just tolerated — and not dismissed merely because they’re too young to understand, or too old, either.
Perhaps my lack of dread when it comes to birthdays comes from the way my parents and other adults treated such occasions when I was a kid — that is, when I was young both mentally and by all chronological considerations.
For each of our family’s birthdays, the usual routine was for our neighbors, Ruth and Earl, who were just like grandparents to us girls, to come over for cake and ice cream. The birthday honoree got to pick the cake that Mom would bake and decorate, and Ruthie almost always baked a pie.
Dad especially loved Ruthie’s pies, and he never forgot the one year she made a cherry pie for one of our birthdays. I’m more partial to chocolate, so although I like pie, I didn’t always have a piece.
Therefore, I was out of the line of fire that year.
Everyone started eating the pie and then began to voice concern. It tasted awful — but Ruthie made delicious pies! Eventually, she realized that in reaching for the almond flavoring that normally goes into a cherry pie, she instead grabbed a little lookalike bottle — of peppermint flavor.
No one ever forgot that cherry peppermint pie!
My mom always makes the grandkids a small cake for each of their birthdays, plus some cupcakes. We all gather at the birthday boy/girl’s home and have lunch, then open gifts, then have cake and ice cream. I love watching the kids blow out the candles.
At the same time, though, I don’t need a big celebration for my birthday anymore. I enjoy hearing from family and friends a little extra on that day, and that’s enough.
My favorite part of a birthday now is that my nieces and nephews call and sing to me. Kim’s kids (Daniel, 9, Isabel, 7, and Olivia, 5) love doing this. They’ve gotten better at it over the years, too.
At one point, little Olivia sang about three words behind Danny and Isabel. That actually was more fun than now, when they’ve got the performance down pat. And they always add their extra verse: “How old are you/you smell like a shoe/you look like a donkey/and you smell like one too.”
That just warms my li’l ol’ heart.
When my dog Henry, the Pug, was alive and the kids were smaller, I’d call them and tell them that Henry was going to sing them “Happy Birthday.” I’d put the phone by his mouth and egg him on — while he simply sniffed at the receiver and then promptly ignored it.
“He was singing it just a minute ago!” I’d assure the birthday boy or girl. I don’t know if they ever believed me, but I made myself laugh, at least.
I still don’t understand people who hate birthdays or are sensitive about their age. I try to respect how they feel, but I don’t get it. Such an attitude makes me want to tell them a little story that a friend told me recently.
Let’s see if I can repeat it.
At a particular workplace where their tasks were outdoors, several employees were in a fuss because it was raining. One old man who worked there sat in a chair and looked out the window, watching the rain fall.
Others, obviously frustrated due to the weather, asked the old man, “What do you do when it rains?”
He paused an appropriate amount of time. Then he said:
“I let it.”
Whether it’s birthdays and getting older, or the irritating politics of the day, or frustrations at work, sometimes the only thing a person can do is just try to go with the flow.
I see by the forecast that we’re supposed to get lots of rain today. We’ve even got a flood watch — oh boy!
When you’re inside watching the streets and yards get wet, and you’re thinking about what you could get done if only it wasn’t raining, try doing something fun instead. Maybe you should plan your next birthday party.
And if it rains that day, too?
Oh, just let it.
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Mama says wrote on Oct 8, 2009 3:15 AM:
I quit wearing makeup, it cakes in the wrinkles and looks like putty. When madeup thought looked like an old barn with new paint. lol. I earned all the aging looks. I don't mind being older.
Just wish could walk, run, and do some of the things USE TO DO. WE liked playing baseball and basketball, yep even us GIRLS. I pass a mirror and see my mother. I took the full length mirror out of the bathroom. Some sights are just TOO MUCH, hehe. I can
see you, Penny, on your Honda when 80 and waving at everyone else. Just don't forget wear the DEPENDS. hehe. "