The Birthday Girl!

With a squeaky-clean shower, two glasses of wine, and some graham crackers under my belt (nutritious dinner, I know) I'm not even sure I can think straight, but I'll give it my best shot.

Continuing where we left off . . . last Tuesday was my 34th birthday. To tell you the truth, I can't even remember what we did that day, but I think it was a pretty relaxed one. We had to do a little bit of work up at the property, but my folks drove out with a late lunch, presents, and cake in tow! For some reason, we've missed my favorite birthday cake - Coconut Creme - these past couple of years, so Mom making it was doubly (triply!) enjoyed this year.

Oh, I remember! Before heading up that day, I took possession of 5 new little chicks! Our little community (and the whole county, matter of fact) recently suffered a HUGE blow when a terrific, hardest-working-you-ever-saw man laid down on the bed after taking a shower one evening, had a heart attack, and died. Just like that. He was the most skilled mason anyone had ever seen, and his stone fireplaces were known throughout the state. I'd known him pretty much my whole life and played with his kids when we were all little - it was real shock.

So, his widow is trying to simplify her life now in order to make some sense of it and start anew . . . including giving away her new chicks. She still has her layers, but she just wasn't in the position to care for these little ones. And, she was kind enough to call me to see if I would take them. Back in the day in California, her husband was a stuntman called 'Tex' (he built the motorcycles in 'Easy Rider' and did the stunts when Dennis Hopper got shot off his bike - that's him), so, since we don't know exactly what breed the chicks are, I've named them my Tex Mix. It's nice to have this addition to the Taj MaCoop.