Father-in-Law Turns 60

Some photos of the table set-up. No people photos as I am protecting the innocent.

Guest of Honor's Place Setting complete with "60" eyewear and pin.

Length of the table

Guest place setting. The favor was Jawbreakers & Gobstoppers, the birthday boy's fav.

Menu cover.

Peanuts, snack mix, and flavored olive oil for bread dipping.

Sunday Scribblings #156 - Aging

Age is opportunity no less,
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Morituri Salutamus

My father-in-law turned 60 years old yesterday. We surprised him by gathering a small group of family and friends at Kirkbrae Country Club where he and my mother-in-law have dinner every Friday night. It was a lot of fun and I'll post some pictures soon.

Sitting at the table last night with a group of people age 19 to 81 really got my mind churning. There was lots of wisdom whirring around the table. There was lots of advice being sought and dispensed. There were lots of people just being people. Age disappeared. Age didn't seem to matter. Age was being celebrated and all were celebrated no matter their age.

The other day a man asked me what I thought was the best time of life. "Why," I answered without a thought, "now." - David Grayson

I believe in living in the moment. If you can not find happiness, something positive, in the present moment, you will surely age before your time.

I am not saying this is easy or that I achieve this all the time, but it is something to strive for, something to always attempt to put into practice. Eventually it becomes automatic, I am finding.

When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age.
- Victor Hugo

My grandmothers are very different, but equally amazing women. Looking into their faces, it is impossible not to grin, too see their victories, their lives in the lines. They're simply adorable in every way. Adorable: to give homage or worship to someone or something.

My maternal grandmother is the one who has most shown me that "unspeakable dawn in happy old age" with her many travels, endless curiosity, and incurable laughter. She has had her share of medical and other issues, but she keeps going and she makes the most of every day. I still have trouble believing she is so near to 80.

My grandmother-in-law has also shown me the dawn. For her 80th birthday, she took her 2 sons and their spouses on a two week trip to Paris and Rome. Soon she'll be 81 and shows no signs of stopping.

The other day Mr. B&B and I were driving. We stopped to let an elderly couple cross the street. They were walking arm in arm, close together. We looked at each other and smiled. "Yes, Love, we will stroll the sidewalks when we are adorable old people, too." said my husband. "Amen." said my heart.

"Miranda: Whatever happened to aging gracefully? Carrie: It got old.”
- Sex and the City

Our culture's obsession with youth boggles my mind. Tens of billions of dollars per year are spent on cosmetic surgery in the United States alone. A Google search for "anti-aging products" yields 7,460,000 results. Women starve themselves to the point of looking pre-pubescent, even skeletal. It is dangerous.

Give me wrinkles and gray hair and experiences I'll never forget. Give me growth, creativity, and fan the flames of the spirit of my five year old self burning bright inside me. Give me a life well lived. Let me savor every moment while it lasts.

Sunday Dinner

Last Monday Mr. B&B told me he wanted a boiled dinner for St. Patrick's Day. He said maybe we could go out to dinner. I told him that probably wasn't a good idea with the sinus infection he was fighting. "How about inviting your parents over for a belated St. Patrick's Day celebration?" I found myself saying. "O.K. That'd be fun!" my husband replied. I called to invite the in-laws who eagerly accepted.

During the week I looked up dessert recipes and settled on Irish Tea Cake, Potato Candies and Dessert Soda Bread (minus the Caraway Seeds).

Fast Forward to Friday. I went to Target for photo frames to hang up some things that have been sitting in a box too long, 2 nine inch round pans, and four beer mugs. Then I stopped at Russo's Market for fruits and vegis. Lemons for lemonade, strawberries to top the tea cake, potatoes and carrots and cabbage and onions were among the most important. Russo's is this vegan's mecca and the prices can't be beat. They have the most amazing varieties of mushrooms (Black Truffles anyone?), but even at the rock bottom prices I haven't yet been able to justify the cost. Some day. Finally, Stop & Shop for the corned beef and everything else. Normally I am a Trader Joe's girl, but the Stop and Shop is right next to Russo's and I doubted Trader Joe's would have corned beef.
Three hours later, I arrived home with my spoils.

Saturday I did all of my baking and prep. of the vegi's while Mr. B&B did a deep cleaning of the bathroom and picked up other odds and ends.

Sunday I got up, cleaned the kitchen, and began boiling the meat. Then I scurried from room to room making the bed, dusting, and sorting piles of my stuff that had accumulated over the week. Mr. B&B and I went through the box of art that has been sitting in our office for the past year. We decided where things should be hung, framed what needed framing, and Mr. B&B kindly hung them up. The last of the Christmas things and a couple of well-sorted, organized bins of things were brought to the basement for storage. I set the table and went outside to gather items for a Spring'y' centerpiece. Half an hour before in-law arrival, the vegi's were put on to boil. Just as I was transferring the vegi's from the pan to the Corningware for serving, the in-laws arrived.

It was a really nice afternoon. Good conversation. Good food. Good people. I'm so grateful for family.

But isn't amazing how three days of preparation is over in three hours?