I would be remiss if I let this week pass by without telling you that our little grandson Jackie turned 4 on Monday.

I asked Jessica for a good, recent picture of him and she sent me this one. I think it captures him perfectly! He’s sweet and smart and determined. He loves his family, playing with cars, and being outdoors. Today he’s starting a weekly preschool art class that we all think he will love. He’s brought us so much joy for the last 4 years and we are an incredibly lucky family to have him in our bunch.

Happy Birthday, little bug, Nana loves you so much!

It’s that time of year again, where I write a blog post for Carole’s birthday so that she can have the day off from her blog and celebrate in style. I’m not sure I can top last year’s post but here goes anyway.

When it comes to birthdays around here, we don’t just celebrate, we also contemplate. Of course, the celebrating is a big part of what we do, not only today, but usually a few days on either side of a birthday, too. We include the typical things like family, friends, food, drink and cake, and try to work in some new adventures if possible.

The contemplating, though, is special, and it’s something we try and do regularly, on anniversaries and when the seasons change, but it’s particularly important on birthdays. We sit and talk about the things we accomplished over the past year, who we saw, where we want, etc and we think about what we want to do in the upcoming year. It’s not as formal as setting goals or writing lists (although I have a feeling Carole does that on her own) but it’s definitely a way of identifying the stuff that matters.

For Carole and I, music is always at the center or our celebrations, contemplations, and pretty much everything we do together. I don’t really understand how Spotify works and I can’t operate our Sonos system, but I’m hoping for a special playlist for tonight. First, I want to play our wedding song, Moon River, not just because we love it but also because the full moon coincides with Carole’s birthday this year. Second, it’s the last day of summer so I’m hoping for a dance on the deck to The Summer Wind as one season ends and another begins. Finally, while those two songs are among Carole’s favorites, I recently rediscovered an old favorite of mine, I’ll Never Find Another You. Tonight, I want to hold hands with Carole and wish her a Happy Birthday while that song plays in the background.

It’s a long, long journey
So stay by my side
When I walk through the storm
You’ll be my guide, be my guide
If they gave me a fortune
My pleasure would be small
I could lose it all tomorrow
And never mind at all
But if I should lose your love, dear
I don’t know what I’d do
For I know I’ll never find another you

Happy Birthday, baby, I love you forever.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Eye Candy Friday post to acknowledge that today is my girlie’s 29th birthday. Gulp.

She’s had quite a year and I’m so very proud of her. She’s smart and caring, has a job she loves that requires a great deal of compassion and mad teacher skillz, she’s a kind and thoughtful daughter, and now she’s also a wife!

Won’t you join me in wishing Hannah a Happy Birthday? Thanks, friends!

P.S. It’s a long weekend so I’ll catch you back in this space on Tuesday. Enjoy!

My father-in-law Jack is 95 years young today, a fact that fills me not only with awe but also with joy. I’m someone who generally has no trouble writing about big moments like this but when it comes to Jack, well, I find myself a little overwhelmed . . . in a very good way.

I’m not quite sure how to explain the gift of his presence in my life. My mother died when I was 32. My stepfather died when I was 40. I’ve been an orphan for a long time and yet, I’ve never felt like one because through all of that, I have had Jack. Sure, he’s not a parent in the typical sense of the word. I mean, he didn’t raise me. But he’s been there for me in a myriad of ways for almost 25 years, from the littlest moments like waving across the back yard to each other, to really big moments like celebrating my political victories. He’s reliable and trustworthy, he’s smart and funny, and he’s the heart and soul of this family in a million different ways.

You may recall that we almost lost him 4 years ago this summer due to a tickborne illness. It was a scary time in my life and it really opened my eyes to just how much I love this man. I mean, I knew I loved him, but I sort of took that love at face value. And, I had always considered how I would need to help Dale through the grief of losing Jack, because Dale has a long and deep seated fear about this that goes back to his boyhood, but I had never considered what the depth of my own grief might be until Jack got so sick. The lesson I learned then was that Dale and I will have to lean on each other when (a very long time from now) that time comes. Because while Dale’s loss will be more significant than mine, we will both be devastated.

When COVID hit, I was more concerned about keeping Jack safe than I was about anyone else in my circle. Dale visited him regularly but was super careful with hand washing and masks and keeping distanced. I didn’t see Jack at all except from across the yard, not wanting to expose him to any germs I might be carrying since I was going to work every day. Back in January, when Dale told me the VA called Jack and set up a vaccine appointment for him, I burst into tears of relief and gratitude. And when I got vaccinated myself, I vowed that Jack would be the first person outside of my bubble that I hugged.

This is may be a bit of a downer as a birthday post but I sincerely hope it conveys just how grateful I am to be part of Jack’s world and to celebrate another trip around the sun for him. And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that, at 95, he’s still living on his own in his own home. It helps that he’s right next door, of course, but he’s independent with his own friends and social life and hobbies. It’s truly remarkable.

He doesn’t have a computer but Dale has shared many posts with him over the years and you can be sure we will share this one with him, too. I sure would love it if we had lots of birthday wishes to read to him.

In other words . . . you know what to do in the comments.

Friends, I’m not sure how it happened but on Sunday our little Jackie turned 3. A big party like he’s had the last two years was out of the question due to COVID but Dale and I, along with Hannah and Mikey, went over to his house for the afternoon and we had a grand time.

Hannah had gotten Jackie a bouncy house as his present and, as luck would have it, the thing was delivered on Thursday and they got to keep it until Monday. To say that Jackie was living his best life while jumping up in down in there with all of his favorite people would be a gigantic understatement. Even this Nana managed to haul herself in there and jump around with him for a bit!

I brought over some cheese and crackers and pepperoni (Jackie’s favorite) and Hannah made a beautiful platter of candy. Dale was all over those sweets and I think he’d probably prefer something like that for Friday Night Snacks instead of our usual savory treats!

Jess made cupcakes and we sang and my little bug (who isn’t so little anymore) blew out the candles. I love his dirty face and impish grin in this photo, it just sums up his personality so perfectly.

So it couldn’t be the birthday we would have preferred but it sure was a special day anyway.

Happy Birthday, Jackie! We all love you to the moon and back!