Today is my birthday.  It always (except for my 40th, which was painful) makes me happy to have survived another year.

Let’s face it:  being alive is great fun.  Or should be.  If you have the health to enjoy it, you should count yourself lucky and celebrate.

As my dear friend Omar Beshir used to say, “Every day I wake up is a good day.”

Banjo Man and I have just returned from town and now it is snowing pretty hard.  This storm is only supposed to last until tomorrow morning and has no wind to accompany it, so it’s a pretty, wintery scene outside.

My birthday isn’t turning out the way I’d planned (errands and lunch or dinner out), due to complications from having had my first pneumonia shot 9 days ago.  I had a sore arm for a few days afterward, but nothing terrible.  But yesterday I woke up with a large red area on my upper arm and for days I’ve felt really tired and achy.

It’s easy to ignore feeling tired and achy, but not so easy to ignore a burning, hot, red spot on your arm.   After a long wait at CVS’s “Minute Clinic” this morning, I learned I have a bacterial infection from the pneumonia shot.  I now have a large bottle of antibiotics to take for the next 10 days.  I should be feeling better within a couple of days.

So Banjo Man and I are looking forward to a cozy afternoon and evening here.  He has a new Scotch to sip, I am in the middle of a good book, and both of us will be on the Giant Couch later on with our quilts, tv remotes, and the new season of The Crown.

Tomorrow I’ll celebrate with my mother and daughter and Banjo Man–hurray for pepperoni pizza!–when the sun comes out and I’m feeling more energetic.

I have my birthday cards displayed on the pie safe and they make me smile every time I look at them.  Last September the Band Chicks surprised me by celebrating my December birthday a few months early.

Linda’s flags of peace.

We also celebrated Retired Mountain Lady’s October 1st birthday, along with a baby shower for Mandolin Ann’s upcoming grandchild.  There were presents galore!!!

We Band Chicks know how to have a good time. 

Julie gave me this really cool pie pan.

There are more pies in my future, obviously.

Speaking of pies, dinner tonight will be one of my own chicken pot pies presently in the freezer.   I always think of those chicken pot pies as “emergency” food and today qualifies as the perfect time to bake some yummy comfort food using very little time or energy.

And speaking of baking…yesterday afternoon my friend Sam came over and we made Christmas cookies together.

There is nothing on earth more fun that baking with a 4-year old.  Photos tomorrow.

I’m gathering pillows and blankets and heading to the couch to watch a sappy Hallmark Christmas movie or two.  Thanks to modern medicine, things are looking up!