"I Got Through All Of Last Year, And I'm Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                    "Lord knows at least I've been there!                                                                                                              And I'm here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                                                                                                             Look who's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                                                                                                               I'm Still Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"                                                                                                              --Yvonne De Carlo, as Carlotta Campion,                                                                                                     singing "I'm Still Here," in Stephen Sondheim's                                                                                           "Follies" (1971).

                                            Usually, darlings, I choose some colorful image to celebrate my natal day online.  And while, at 66, I am now in my late sixties, I  look  upon this with gratitude.

                                               As my beloved, David,  on  my birthday card, said, "What a year!"

                                               Of course, there was Trump, but then the pandemic, David's lithotrypsy, and my heart troubles, atrial fib diagnosis, followed by the heart ablation.  Enough was enough.  May the rest of 2020 go smoothly, and may 2021 be an improvement on this year.

                                                But the day was perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               I had my breakfast, and opened the cards.  More rest, until David knocked off work for half a day.  Then we called Positano and ordered my birthday dinner.   I had the Tomato and and  Mozzarella appetizer, while David had Escarole and White Bean Soup.  My main course, of course,  was the Pappardelle Bolognese, and for desert, David had Banana Pudding and Vanilla Wafers, and I a slice of Coconut Cloud Cake, from the Little Cupcake Shop, here in Bay Ridge.  Baby Gojira was with us for the celebration, and I had to compete with him nibbling on the cake!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 While out and about, we stopped to see Nicholas, and he lovingly wished me a happy birthday.  What a sweetheart, that cat is.

                                                    I talked  to  my sister this evening, and started "Aria," which promises to be a sweeping, epic novel, set in Iran. Just what I like!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      All in all, one of the happiest of birthdays.

                                                       I am so grateful to all I know, and all of you readers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       Here's to another year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!