‘You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old.’ - George Burns

I refuse to cry on my birthday, so today’s post will be silly and light… besides, I’m running out of tissues and I would rather die than use the community snotrag… so here are quotes, jokes, thoughts, and various musings that have raced through my mind today.. I’m getting older… as I was thinking about getting older (how come I feel like I aged a whole year in one day?????) I came across this quote that made me snarf: "Age doesn’t matter, unless you’re cheese." - John Paul Getty And it reminded me of a scene from one of my favorite movies.. (come on, you can guess, can’t you?) yup, Steel Magnolias: Ouiser Boudreaux: ‘You are evil, and you must be destroyed.’ Clairee Belcher: ‘Mother Nature's taking care of that faster than you could.’ I’ve put off getting older as long as I could but it seems to catch up with me with dogged determination and stunning accuracy. What I want to know is: whose bright idea was it to invent the calendar?? ‘Time marches on and sooner or later you realize it is marchin' across your face.’ – Truvy Jones (Steel Magnolias) Yup.. yup.. yup.. So, another year... What do I have to show for it? -New and precious friends... What more could I possibly ask for? -I’ve learned to let go and post what’s on my mind and in my heart in this silly little blog of mine… -A renewed passion for music... courtesy of one Taylor Reuben Hicks (also a Libra I might add)... Now that I come to think of it, he’s also to thank for my new and precious friends... Wow! That man sure is an angel, isn’t he? -I’ve rediscovered the smartass that is hidden in me… ok it’s just about as well hidden as an elephant behind a twig... I know… but I found her again… -I have a whole new set of wrinkles from laughing… -I’ve been told by some poor misguided and far too kind folks that I can write... -I can’t look at cows the same way again… -Or onions for that matter… -I now have riot pants… -I became a Duck-Master! And countless other blessings too numerous to mention… “Will you still need me, will you still feed me. When I'm sixty-four?” – Paul McCartney (gee, that one didn’t work for him, did it??) I share a birthday with: -Stevie Ray Vaughan, blues musician (1954) – Travis, this one falls in the ‘Taken too soon’ category if anyone ever did… -Tommy Lee, rock musician (1962) – don’t hold it against me... -Clive Owen, actor (1964) – **sigh** and YUM! -Thomas Wolfe, American novelist (1900) – ‘Is this not the true romantic feeling; not to desire to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping you.’ In 1969 – my birthyear ( ‘…it was a very good year…’ ) -Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the moon. -Montreal defeats St-Louis to win the Stanley Cup (WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!) -Woodstock, not Snoopy’s little feathered friend, but the Music and Art Festival, an event that shaped history and culture was held in Max Yasgur's muddy pasture in Sullivan County, NY. -Children's Television Workshop introduces Sesame Street. (I’m reminded of a song about a rubber ducky…) -Grammy - Record of the Year: "Mrs. Robinson," Simon and Garfunkel -‘Captain Kangaroo’ debuts on television.. (I LOVED that show!!!) Revisionist history (my twist on history…) 1981 Irish Nationalist at Maze Prison near Belfast end 7-MO hunger strike when the kitchen staff agreed to start serving something other than potato soup, Potato and Onion Skillet Fry, Potato Farls, Potato Stuffing, Potato Casserole, Boxty (Potato Griddle Cakes), etc, etc, etc, etc… yeah, yeah.. I know.. I didn’t promise it would be funny y’all (hey Vince… see? I said y’all just for you!) Now, as I am Irish… My Favorite Irish Birthday Toasts 'May God grant you many years to live, for sure he must be knowing, the earth has angels all too few and heaven is overflowing...' 'May the good Lord take a liking to you...But not too soon!' 'May you die in bed at 95, shot by a jealous spouse.' Odd… Many years ago a farmer couple gave birth to a son. They named him "Odd". When Odd began going to school all of his classmates teased him because of his name. He finally graduated school and got a factory job and once again all of his co-workers would poke fun at his name. Finally, he got married and lived and worked a farm, since he could not take being around people teasing him about his name. When he became 50 years old, he told his wife that he was fed up from going through life with his name. He told her when he died that would end it. No one would ever make fun of him again. He requested that his wife not put his name on his headstone, only the date he was born and the date he died. About 20 years later the poor farmer died. His wife wanted to honor his wishes and purchased his headstone with no name engraved; just the date he was born and the date he died. Today when mourners visit the cemetary they walk by and look at his headstone and see there is no name on the headstone and they always say, "Isn't that Odd?". A Rose by any other name… An elderly couple went to dinner at the home of some friends, also elderly. After dinner, the wives went into the kitchen and the two men were talking. One said, "We went out to dinner last night at a really good restaurant. I'd highly recommend it." The second man said, "What's the name of it?" The first man thought and thought, then said, "What's the name of that flower you give to someone you love, the one that is usually red that has thorns?" "Oh, you mean a rose?" said the second man. "Yes, that's it," said the first man. Then he called to the kitchen, "Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night?" Eh??? An elderly gentleman finally invested in a hearing aid after becoming virtually deaf. It was one of those invisible hearing aids. Soon after, he went for a check-up. "Well, how do you like your new hearing aid?" asked his doctor. "I like it great. I've heard sounds in the last few weeks that I didn't know existed." "Well, how does your family like your hearing aid?" "Oh, nobody in my family knows I have it yet. Am I having a great time! I've changed my will three times in the last two months." I Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!