My 66th April!

Turning 65!

​I hate the aging, but I love the Medicare part! Yay for turning 65!

And I didn't mind some of the nice surprises. Some fragrant and some funny and some sweet!

Dining Out

This year's birthday was lots more relaxed than the last two.

This is my third "covid birthday". But this year feels very different. We had a nice time celebrating at Houston's Rainbow Lodge.  
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Birthday Zoom!

​This was also my third Birthday Zoom.  There were only 6 of us at the first Zoom, two years ago!

I love being able to celebrate with our kids, in Oregon and California.

Easter in Springfield

A few days before Easter, Don and I hit the road for Missouri.

My sister flew in from Oregon and we spent 3 days hanging out with Dad. Our Airbnb just happened to be the home where Dad's brother and family lived. 

We have good memories from visits to the stone house in the '60's and '70's. We made new memories, hanging out with games and coffee and old scrapbooks. A few easy meals out...

​Relatives

We made it simple and met up with our Springfield relatives at a nearby brewery, on Saturday afternoon. It was a block from the old grocery store where Dad worked as a teen.

We visited with the relatives, some that we've known all our lives. And we met the newest relative!

On the Road

After a good visit, Don and I took four days to meander home, through Missouri and Arkansas. We stayed in a grain bin one night and an old orphanage, another.

We slept in the only still operating bath house/ hotel, in Eureka Springs. We spent the craziest and creepiest night ever, in a room filled with old dolls in Jefferson, TX.

Enjoying the Road

It felt good to take our time and on back roads.  

It was refreshing to be on the road, with new spring growth. We made lots of spontaneous stops along the way.

Posing

And we also managed to find some time to pose with strange characters...

And tasty drinks!
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Ending the Month
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At the end of the month, I was able to use a special birthday gift. Tickets to Fiddler on the Roof.

It's been over 50 years since I first saw this show on stage! It's been way over 2 years that I've been in a theatre. I was thrilled.

Reminders

​The theatre's mask requirement, was a reminder that we are still living with a sad and serious pandemic.

The ending of the show, was a powerful reminder of the (also sad and serious) happenings in Ukraine. 

War & disease is not something for a Happy Blog. But, there was a positive message after curtain call. Every performance is dedicated to the people of Ukraine. It's a good feeling to have a theatre packed with caring and concerned mask wearing patrons, applauding together in support.