Bloggerlife.blog

09/21/2025

Today’s blog

Lynn Murphy Mark

What a wonderful day!

It is not light out yet. In the not too far land over the fence the coyotes are carrying on, howling with great abandon. It must be a pack, (the official word for a group of coyotes), because I can hear at least 6 different voices speaking into the dark. Their voices are high pitched so I would call them Soprano-like. No Altos in this pack.

A friend sent me a meme that is attached to this blog. I hope you can read it. According to the woman featured in the meme, I am now at Level 76. From now on, a birthday shall be referred to as a “level up”! Sheila, who is the same age as me only a month older, said she is struggling a little with being 76, and being ever closer to 80. I told her that last year, when Jan turned 80, she kept referring to the unreal feeling of having reached this venerable age.

Both of us agree that we don’t know what we are supposed to feel like – no longer young? But not yet elderly?

Yesterday started with a breakfast reunion with my friend, School Social Worker Extraordinaire, Denise. We spent two hours talking over a meal of omelets and English muffins at a small café in Eldorado – a very fancy suburb of Santa Fe. We caught up about our children, our spouses, our work, people we know in common, some minor health challenges. She is still brave enough to work with middle school kids, especially the ones with special needs. She’s been doing this work for over 23 years – Bravo!, I say. Both of her girls have left home, so we talked about what it’s like to be an empty-nester and miss the kids like the dickens.

Jackie and the boys facetimed after I got back to Sheila and Barrett’s house. The boys wanted to see my friends, so both women got into the circle with us. Then Cameron carried the phone out back to show us the magnificent chicken coop that Momoh built for their brood of hens. I noticed right away that both boys have grown and their faces are lengthening and loosing the roundness of early childhood. It gives my heart such joy to see them and their mom taking time to talk to Yaya. 

Ted called later in the day, on his way to an event partly arranged by Sarah, for an artist she has been working with at the Getty. I think that’s right. After the birthday greeting was spoken I wanted to know about the dog that adopted Ted last week. Ted visits Dog every day at the pound and brings him treats. It sounds very much like Dog will be joining their household next week, if no one comes to claim him. Ted will be at the pound at 8:30am on Tuesday when Dog is available for adoption. Then Dog will be neutered and can go home with Ted and Sarah a day or so later. I call him Dog because the matter of a name is up in the air. In my mind I have named him Archimedes, “Archie” for short. Apparently that name is on the list of possibles. 

I took a great afternoon nap, then joined Sheila on the portal that overlooks the distant mountains. I made myself a cup of coffee and enjoyed every sip as we talked about a lot of stuff. Barrett had gone to Walmart to get some dog food, and on the way home made a slight detour into an estate sale. Sheila said Barrett usually comes home with a treasure or two. This time she came home with a beautiful leather jewelry box that became my birthday gift. It will take the place of the two plates that hold my meager supply of jewels.

Since the two of them recently got back from a trip up the Nile river I asked to see their pictures. After supper we settled into our places and spent an hour or so going over the shots they took of the beauty and grandeur of Egypt – the pyramids, the statues, the tombs, the frescoes with colors that have lasted thousands of years, the walls of hieroglyphics. It was a fascinating display. To end the evening, we watched the 1978 version of the film, “Death on the Nile”. It was a star-studded film. Sadly, most of the actors have since made their transitions. I loved watching Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury act their ways through the movie. And, the movie featured many of the places that Sheila and Barrett had visited.

We and the dogs each retired to our rooms, where I read several chapters of my birthday book from Jackie – Dan Brown’s latest book, “The Secret of Secrets”. It was a nice end to a wonderful day. Actually, on my phone I now have four versions of the Happy Birthday song, performed by precious people. I am blessed.