Birthday Cake and Curiosity

23 December 2006


10:29 pm
Birthday cake and curiosityMy birthday is on Christmas, as is my niece's. Before Loren and I moved to Hawaii we always celebrated Christmas at my brother's house with my mom in attendance. While I celebrate my birthday and Christmas at the same time, my niece opens her Christmas presents with her sister in the morning. After dinner is when she gets to open her birthday gifts and we all indulged in birthday cake. Luckily, Loren always got me a birthday cake all for myself. Hey! It only comes once a year and if I must turn a whole year older I want all the butter cream frosting I can eat! Last year Loren poached. He ate a slice of my birthday cake!Tomorrow, contrary to tradition we will graze: smoked salmon, crab, sashimi, peanut butter stuffed celery sticks, devilled eggs, a variety of cheeses w/ crackers and pate. Plum pudding for dessert. Likely we'll take in a movie. I hope it's THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Christmas day we eat the Big Meal: my special ham (Loren says it's the best he's ever tasted. Coming from someone who eats the finest meals due to his profession, that's something - especially as cooking isn't my forte), cheesy scalloped potatoes, sage stuffing, and brussel sprouts. Birthday cake for dessert. Who knows what Loren will scrounge for dessert because THAT BIRTHDAY CAKE IS MINE!!!! We usually reverse these meals but Loren got a wild hair and wished to do something different this year.It's said curiosity killed the cat. The poor kitty probably messed with something he shouldn't have like a moving car or a very large snake or ate too much carpet fuzz. My curiosity, I don't think, is that dangerous. I just want to know what is in those gorgeously wrapped presents addressed to me! This could drive me crazy wondering. I drive Loren bats because I'm an incorrigable package pinch. He drives me bonkers because he displays absolutely no curiosity at all! Ha! I got him one year on his birthday. He still gets hot under the collar when reminded. I laugh until tears run down my face:-) A few years ago I bought him a gorgeous black kid leather jacket. I didn't want to crease it by folding it into the box I was given at the store, so I hung the jacket in the closet of our guest bedroom and wrapped the empty box. On his Big Day I gave him his pile of gifts. He saved that box for last - and whadya know? He actually displayed some curiosity about it! It was light as a feather and didn't shake, rattle, or roll. In fact, it didn't make any sound at all. So he tore the wrapping and opened -- an empty box! The look on his face was priceless! His older brother and his wife were watching and they got a good giggle, too. Loren was the only one not gaffawing. I waited until I could see straight and then fetched his jacket.Ah, to have Superman's x-ray vision. But that would spoil the surprise . . .