chronicle of a birth-day

6/9/1977
10:30am
A mother quietly gave birth - her first - alone, while a father played nine holes.
......................................................................

6/9/2005
4:17am
Awakened by the dog, whining at the foot of the bed. Maybe she was just nervous about the paper boy outside. Nope, whining continued till I got up, took her downstairs for her nature call. I stood at the back door staring blankly at the porch while the dog wandered around in the grass, sniffing everything...plastic chairs, chiminea, patio floor. I thought about getting some coffee and staying up to watch the sunrise. Why, I don't know. There are too many trees in the way, anyway.

4:54am
Jammed black and white piano-shaped pillow over ear to block out the noisy birds waking up. Tossed and turned. Could not get back to sleep.

9:12am
Remembered dream about large bugs - black and yellow striped arthropods; long, chitinous bodies, no wings, 6 legs; dark green, waxy schefflera plant leaves protruding from sides. When dead, either from natural causes or the fly swatter, they dry up into black mounds, stuck to the wall.

12:35pm
Checked e-mail. From The Writer's Almanac: It was on this day in 1870, in London, Charles Dickens dropped dead at his chair at the dinner table. He died of a stroke, or apoplexy as it was called then. He was 58 years old. In the months before he died, he must have already suffered a stroke. He spoke in his letters of weakness and deadness on the left side and of not being able to pick up things with his left hand.

1:37pm
Phone call from sister in Tennessee.

2:28pm
Phone call from high school friend now in the insurance business.

3:07pm
Phone call from aunt in Ohio.

3:31pm
Phone call from brother in Maryland.

6:02pm
Celebratory dinner at Shamrock Jack's. I had a fantastic Mediterranean shrimp dish, with sun-dried tomatoes smothered in goat cheese. Yummy. Ryan had Coq au Vin. Shamrock Jack Pale Ale, craftbrewed by Custom BrewCrafters, completed the meal.

7:42pm
Beer run.

8:04pm
Presents...new Birks and more knitting lessons. Also, more beer consumed.

11:14pm
Quiet time for reading, then bed.

No other thoughts to report.

Thanks to all who remembered.