And it was Fur Day at work today. How could I have fur-got? The Commander used to give me an elegant pair of leather “driving glubs” every xmas. I liked the red ones the best but black was okay too. One year she decided that Lizard Breath was old enough for a pair of leather driving glubs. She sent Liz some fancy fur-trimmed glubs and me a more elegant, unadorned black pair. Wouldn’t you know? The fur-trimmed glubs were a bit over the top for Liz. Mine were fine but I happily traded. I don’t remember if I ever told The Comm that. She wouldn’t know who was wearing what so why bother? I don’t get elegant pairs of driving glubs from anyone any more. It’s okay. I still have a few pairs hanging around. I wear them occasionally but my go-to glubs are those little 50-cent Walmart thingies. They are plenty warm down to about 10 degrees and can be easily doubled (i.e., layer two on each hand) below that.

Speaking of Liz… What were you doing oh, I dunno, more years ago than I care to admit to but at least the number doesn’t end in zero? Me, I was trying to figure out what to do with that thing in the photoooo… My Dear Uncle Harry declared her to be the Epitome of Cutosity. I think she takes after her dad, don’t you?

Anyway, when you are 30 and you have NEVER CHANGED A BABY’S DIAPER IN YOUR LIFE or even held a baby for more than the amount of time it takes to say, “Please take it back, I don’t think it likes me!” it is quite interesting when you HAVE ONE!!! Once I was alone in my hoosegow room with her and she did a wee bit of choking, not enough that an *experienced* parent or babysitter would’ve even thought twice about. Me? I was on the phone immediately. “I think she’s okay but I don’t really get the hang of the bulb aspirator.” Yes, I really said that bit about the bulb aspirator. Some well-meaning nurse had apparently left me with one along with a cursory explanation on when / how to use it. Which I didn’t understand at all… A nurse answered my call and reassured me that my baby was fine and she was. I kind of grew up a little. I didn’t call a nurse for anything relating to my baby again and don’t remember ever actually *using* a bulb aspirator with my healthy children. Ever.

We did birthdays up big back in the old days with wild parties at the Landfill and too many gifts. Those days are long gone and I think the only time I have spent Lizard’s birthday with her *on the actual date* since she turned 17 was three years ago when we all met in Asheville for The Beautiful Renee’s wedding, which was scheduled on Liz’s birthday. This year? It’s the usual. As I probably said yesterday, Liz is on the left coast and that is cool with me. Somehow the person who freaked out about the bulb aspirator all those years ago managed to raise successful, responsible citizens like Lizard Breath. Of course I have to give a lot of credit to that proverbial village. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins of many degrees on both sides of the fam (how many of you know your second cousins? I met a few of mine but I never knew them well well but my kids know theirs…). So happy birthday to Liz and thank you to the Fin, Mac, and Courtois families for all your help. I couldn’t have done it without you.

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