Join Me for a Swim in the Gene Pool

I know that what ails me is more than cabin fever, even though my temp was 99.9 briefly. Now it's normal even though I'm not. I am warm though, and my mind keeps drifting to the past, wherever that is.

Last week I drove to NYC for my birthday weekend. I'm notorious for week-long celebrations. Ask my friends. I had a martini at the 21 Club and another at the restaurant. It was a small gathering, people I'ved shared my birthday with many times.

The next day, I had a birthday lunch with my good pal Jeffrey, aka Luvy. For some reason, I usually get a burger when I lunch with him. It's comfort food and Jeff's always a comfort to me. Living in the boondocks though is evident when I try to act like a city girl, walking for miles, climbing subway stairs. New Yorkers don't have to diet as long as they stay away from taxis.

Back at my friends' house (4 flights up), I decided to take a  nap. As I was drifting off to sleep there was a knock at the door. Ma? It was my son Mark surprising me for my birthday. I thought I was dreaming, turned over and went back to sleep.

He'd flown in from Texas for the weekend. His brother Harry also surprised me. These young men are gems. I attribute that mostly to their father, and that we lived in Costa Rica for six years. My daughter is working in Costa Rica at the moment and couldn't be part of the surprise. She's trying to save the world one child at a time. Admirable.

Dinner at a restaurant in our old neighborhood was nonpareil. Breakfast at Juniors the next morning was a classic exercise in consuming vasts quantities of delicious greasy foods. I love that place.

Mark returned with us to the woods and cooked dinner. He ran and consumed enough food to feed me for a week. He does crosswords in ink, just as my grandfather did.