Another Birthday

Today was Steve's turn. We're still working to bring order to chaos, and hadn't really planned on a big celebration, unlike last year, one of those milestone years. There the family was gathered in a restaurant when one son swooped in with his wife from halfway across the country, just in time to BE the birthday present! They were moving back just that day, helping us decide to move back this spring.

A few days ago we heard that Steve's half brother and his new wife would be in the state for a visit, with the aim of making Steve's birthday. There hadn't been much opportunity for the two guys to get close, from different generations, different states, so it was to be a big treat to see him again. It didn't quite work out. His wife also had family to see while they were here and her family visiting was keeping them on the road around the state for a couple days, including this one. Another invited party guest wasn't feeling well and backed out. My son was coming over to adjust closet shelves for me and spent some time enjoying the company, which was we two and the son/wife pair which moved here in time for last year's birthday. He also was warned to prepare for having cake. No point arriving full, right?

Steve hadn't gotten around to planning to buy a cake, originally thinking he'd bake and frost his own. It's not like we've unpacked the mixer or cake pans yet, of course. (I do still have cake pans, don't I? Please tell me I do.) By midmorning I suggested if he were going to call a bakery, it had better be NOW! So he did. It was a half a sheet, all chocolate, with whipped chocolate frosting.  OMG YUM! No extra decorations on it, because who needs those? No candles either. We may have some in some box somewhere, but again, not needed. If we do have some, they'll likely show up in time for next year. If not, oh well.

It's just as well he ordered a cake since he had a visit from his main PT lady around lunchtime, her first look at the new place. By the time she finished he was too tired to cook even his own lunch, and went to bed until time to go pick up the cake. While waiting for her to show up, we were entertained by a backhoe next door. The home had been pulled out just after we moved in (pure coincidence we're sure) with a new one and new resident due late summer. It had been a single wide with a concrete patio along the side. The patio concrete was being chunked into manageable pieces and dropped into a large dump truck out on the street. We opened our blinds to watch for a while. Tonight the equipment still sits there. We think it likely a double-wide home will go in (with no patio) and we can watch the process. It looks like a trade-off between the entertainment now, and loss of our view of the lake once it's in place. I'm hoping for the bonus of seeing what actually goes in the ground to support the utilities of one of these homes. Today there was an upside down plastic 5 gallon bucket over one spot and a big tin garbage pail over another spot.

Of course I spent my "spare time" today clearing messes, compiling emptied boxes together for more floor space, hauling out bagfuls of recyclables until the huge bin was full to the top, but rediscovering floor space in exchange, washing dishes and counters, locating chairs for group seating, making bathrooms looking less lived in, or in short, arranging our chaos to look better for company. I even hung stuff on three picture hangers already on our walls from the previous family to aid the living-here look. (Steve liked all the choices I made while he slept... he says.)  

Meanwhile we had two huge boxes delivered to the front door which had the expected three shelf units inside to be assembled tomorrow so we can start organizing the pantry room. All the existing shelves in there had been packed full of boxes with no organizing principle aside from where they might fit, or how soon one could put them down because of how heavy they were. (Wait! this box can't go on end? But it fits right there if I do it that way! What do you mean, "break"?) So opened boxes had no place for their  insides to go if their contents were actually meant for that room. The three dozen extra boxes filled the middle of the room, starting at the full shelves and moving to the other side, stacking up in columns as they went.

Just try to find something in there! 

I'd managed to create a facsimile of a path that with care allowed access to a likely box here or another one there, ever mindful of space for a foot here and putting the next one there... except you needed to use the same foot as the last time because the opening was on the same side of the rug laying down sort of along the middle of the room. I'm sure lots of actual treasures inhabit those boxes, if only we can get to them.

The plan is to start in the far diagonal corner from the door with a shelf unit, carefully measured to fit from the corner to the window. Of course there's a box sitting in that spot right now, but that will be my son's problem, tomorrow. I haven't told him about that box. Yet. But once shelves appear by some unknown magic, they can start being filled, and the process will cascade. The process, mind you, not the stacks of boxes! Or that's the plan, anyway.

But we were celebrating a birthday tonight, and we were doing it in style. I refer to the kind of style your parents never let you indulge in when you were growing up. Nobody had supper. At least not then. At least two of them had plans to have something nutritious later before bed. But we had a half sheet cake, and only five mouths to feed. The first half of the cake got cut into 6 pieces, and each got one. There will be more here tomorrow, tucked under the tight plastic cover for freshness. As we each munched on our bounty, nobody complained. Nobody missed veggies. Nobody was unable to finish. And probably nobody will ever get the chance to repeat it, because nearly everybody goes back to someplace where tender impresssionable children have to have a good example set for them, or at least during the next celebration  which includes cake... AFTER  a "real" meal.

But OMG YUM! I'm going to sleep with dreams of breakfast!