Oh say can you see

Oh yeah, my favorite time of year is knocking at the door, my birthday and Independence Day.  I am, of course, a big fan of Christmas because I have children and it is their favorite holiday.  I also enjoy Halloween because I am still a kid at heart, and I enjoy creating "Spooky Food" for the girls and helping them get all dressed up in their costumes.  After the age of 25, the excitement of having another birthday began to fade.  As the years have passed, I can say I don't look forward to adding numbers to my age.  No matter how many years have passed, I still look forward to fireworks and tributes to our great nation.  I will always have a soft spot in my heart for any patriotic song, and I don't think I've ever watched a fireworks display that I absolutely hated.

Just like in years past, my husband and daughter will make several batches of homemade ice cream.  We will enjoy yummy food, too.  I hope to teach the girls some of the secrets behind my favorite dishes this year.  The hardest part of teaching is that I rarely following an actual recipe for most of them.  They ask occasionally to cook, but unless I have planned for it, my patience runs thin.  They do not like grocery shopping, but it is impossible to cook if you don't have anything to prepare.  I will force them to help me buy the food in order to cook the food.  That may be the best birthday gift I get.

Today, a crew came to spread sand around the pool in preparation for pouring the deck tomorrow.  Another crew came to set the equipment for the plumbing in place, but the equipment had been shipped to the main office.  Hopefully, they will be able to accomplish that tomorrow as well.  I talked to my pool contractor today, and he says we are still on the schedule for the pool to be plastered on Friday.  If they are able to get it all done, and still plaster on Friday, that means the water starts going in on Friday night, and we could be swimming by Saturday night.  At this point, I don't want to count on it, but it sure would be a great birthday present to myself.  Even if they don't get it done until after the 4th, it will be so nice to have a big tub of water to play in next week!

My mother has been in a rehabilitation center since last Thursday night.  She is getting depressed over how long it is taking for her to get back on her solid feet.  Her roommate turns the A/C off at night and the food is over-cooked and starchy.  She just wants to go home.  After several conversations today with her and the administration at the center, she was moved to another room where the A/C can stay on at night.  We can take some raw fruits and vegetables to her, which is more like her typical meals at home.  But the greatest news is that her physical therapist thinks she may go home on Monday, the 4th.  Hopefully, she will be cleared to drive and she will be as independent as before.  So, currently I am planning to take part of my 4th of July to drive my mother home.

I realize the pool completion and my mother's return to home is only speculation...but what is life, really, without hope?!