Home » Camp NaNo » Birthdays, Easter, Camp NaNo, Stuff

Birthdays, Easter, Camp NaNo, Stuff

Posted on by

“Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we’re related for better or for worse…and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.”
― Rick Riordan, The Sea of Monsters

Haven’t done a Sunday Gratitude or a weekly update in a while and figured, why not?

I can’t remember ever celebrating Easter on April Fool’s day – which makes sense because The Google told me the last time it happened was 1956.  Before my time.

So I got curious about how often it has fallen on MY birthday because I remember celebrating it when I turned ten – I remember because it was also the same year I had my First Communion (I wore the same dress 😉 ).   Matante Nicole shopped with me for it and brought me for the big shindig because my folks were off on some Caribbean holiday…

Turns out, it happened three times in 11 years:  the year before I was born, when I was four and, as mentioned, when I was 10.  The time before that was way back in 1895.  The next time it’s scheduled?  2047!  I’ll be an old lady of 83 by then.  Of course, when that time comes around, 80 will be the new 60, right?

I’m sure that has totally fascinated you, hasn’t it? 😀  Between that and that cute kid… I know, you can’t take it.   We’ll just table that into the “useless information file”…

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.”
― Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance

On Saturday we suddenly remembered Sunday was Easter and had planned absolutely nothing. Got a call from Tracy that Sébastien was doing the ham, I offered to do the veg and, of course, as Iain’s birthday was the day before, I was bringing a key lime pie and Tracy said Sabrina (who turned 18 exactly one week before) wasn’t into lime, was into chocolate so I said, no problemo, I will bring something chocolate.  The Sachertorte.  Lisa was doing the potatoes and rice (because, just because) and the salad and supplying the “venue” so that was more than enough.  Mom was making break and her “pouding au chômeur” – which translates literally to “Poorman’s Pudding” which really is a white cake with a sugar bottom.  This stuff is to die for.  And if you’re really piggy about it, you can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top (especially when it’s cold) and if your sweet tooth wants an extra kick, you can do like Sébastien and pour maple syrup on top.  Ridonkulous.

Isn’t Iain’s key lime pie pretty?  Well guess what?  It’s a FROZEN key lime pie… so I told Shane to put it in the fridge instead of the freezer.  Why?  Sonofa….  It was more like key lime soup.  Taste was there and since this isn’t Iron Chef and we have no blast chiller… we ate key lime soup.  Sigh.

Took a couple pics of all the kids (9, including Willow, Aidans girlfriend) and realised Sabrina does not appear in them.  Dang.  She arrived a bit later and, when I took a pic of her brother and Iain (they are 2 months apart) I got just the top of her head.  That won’t do.  So pretend there is a beautiful blonde in the mix!

I have decided to do Camp NaNo again this April.  Okay, okay… I have decided to not just add my name to the group and start for a day or two but actually work the whole month of April.  I’ve mentioned it before and this time I’m going to get even further in my “Dear Mick” book of short stories which are basically memories of our almost twenty years together.  I figure worse comes to worse, the boys will one day have a book to remind them of their dad.  Which they may even read.  One day.  So our cabin is called the Plot Bunnies – but since we were all joking around about wanting to live our jammies, we are also known as the “Camp Plot Jammies” but only ‘coz we’re JAMMING on our plots!  Woot.  Our band of merry writers are: Joy from Tales From Eneana  Gabriele from Flights of Fancy Lynn from Word Shamble Sammi from Sammi Cox Megan from Invisible World Crispina from Crimson Prose.  Should be fun to give and get encouragement to go-go-go!

Oh!  And on a final note, sometimes things happen for a reason.  The fridge guy was supposed to pass by on Thursday morning.  My ice machine in the fridge had decided that it would make ice until you can no longer open the door!  I had a quick appointment five minutes away so I told the company to have him call when he left his his current appointment as, should I needed to step out but would be five minutes away.  Well.  He called at 9:44.  His phone is a “private number”.  My cell phone rejects private numbers.  So I waited for the message to appear.  It ddn’t.  Shoot.  My appointment had five minutes left and I got home at 10:03 to find the fridge guy’s business card with 9:55 written on it.   Really?  Come ON!!!  I call the company and the receptionist says she’ll try to reach him.   She couldn’t.  I dunno… but if you are using a company cell phone, should you not be a “private number”?  She told me he also called the house line and there was no response (and no message).  Well duh.  I’m thinking there are more and more people who no longer have land lines.  That means, even if I had been home and gone to the bathroom, foolishly sans cell phone, I would have missed his call.  Yes, I would have been here when he “took the chance” to stop by as he did.  But still.  I took the trouble to tell the receptionist I had a 5-minute appointment.  They cannot guarantee what time they will pass so why cancel a five-minute appointment?  BECAUSE THIS CAN HAPPEN!

Well guess what?  I don’t need no stinking repair guy because my guy fixed the problemo…  So

I keep forgetting to add to my list!

A few of the 10,000 things that make me happy and grateful

41. Fellow NaNo Campers – encouraging each other to write
42. Not needing the fridge guy after all – saving big buckaroos
43. Easter – especially when the whole family is present
44. Birthday cakes – even when they don’t quite turn out, they can still taste good
45. Sense of humour – see number 44

36 thoughts on “Birthdays, Easter, Camp NaNo, Stuff”

  3. So I decided to click on a few blogs you linked before finishing my comment, forgetting that my comment, yanno . . might go away? Which it did. So lemme see if I can bring it back in some kind of sameness.

    Your collection of tasty was glorious. It made me want to chow down on some candy, now that I can do so again without being smited. But I shall wait until I actually get some sleep, which I should be doing shortly. But in the morning, I’ll probably have a few pieces of candy, and promptly blame it on your crave inducing pics. 🙂

    Look at ‘lil Q! All dressed up and ready for trouble, no doubt, lol.

    And if 80 will be the new 60, can 60 be the new 40? And if that’s the case, can 51 be the new “Nothing Hurts When I Wake Up In the Morning!”? Okay . . I went too far.

    Thanks repair guys! And cable guys! Because unlike firefighters, who somehow manage to gear up and go in no time flat (As I learned tonight, first hand), all these other service guys have big issues when it comes to time commitments. In your case, it was a very good thing.

    And here’s to your Camp Nano-Nano! I know that’s not the actual name, but it made me think of Robin Williams and I am tired, so I got silly there.

    Alright, Imma go. For now. Till coffee. And candy.

    Peace and cakes . . . lots of ’em

    Liked by 1 person

    • I hate when I do that. I’ve since learnt to copy it, just in case, and when I think I might lose it. Mind you, when I click on links, it’s because I’m in the moment and totally forget to 🙄.

      Sorry, not sorry, about enticing you with my sweets. I’ve got broad shoulders, g’head, blame away.

      Lordy…thanks, Dad, for getting me braces…

      Isn’t 60 the new 40 already? And as for the nothing hurting in the morning, lemme know how, please.

      Sorry about your need for fire fighters to be traipsing through your home (for nothing)… wait. Fire fighters? Hmmm 😉.

      Nano Nano! And freedom from gas leaks!

      Liked by 1 person

      • What an ordeal!
        I guess I was in the moment as well. Either that or sleep depraved, not sure about which. But at least the coffee is working its magic this morning.
        No candy this morning. It felt like a good idea last night but this morning . . coffee is first, second and third on the priority list.
        I don’t know what 60 is, or 51. Most days, 51 feels like 30 something-ish, except for mornings which usually feel as if I was extricated from a cryogenic state.
        There wasn’t a single Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the bunch of firefighters, sorry to inform you. There was a Maggie, but she was too business like . . the nerve of these firefighters! 🙂
        Hey, Nano has a different meaning now! You can say “Nano ‘yo business!” and then proceed to explain the group! Boom . .

        Happy Tuesday!

        Liked by 1 person

        • Jeez Louise! (I did a response to your comment, accidentally back-clicked and well, here I am re-answering! Sound familiar?)
          Sleep deprivation makes us do strange things…
          I feel ya. My coffee was more than appreciated this morn. And glad you dissed the candy. Not a good breakfast.
          I couldn’t say, this too-soon-to-be-fifty-four still feels like a twenty-something! Except when my hips hurt, my knees crackle, my… anyway.
          Not a one? Not even a close to JDM? That is just wrong.
          Nano…. lol….
          Hope your Tuesday is better than your Monday night…

          Liked by 1 person

          • The coffee had some help this morning, as I added a handy dandy packet of Bustelo espresso to it . . just because. It did the trick, tell you what.
            My energy level, as compared to the kids I work with- some of whom are half my age- is really very good. Of course, I don’t go clubbing after work . . so there’s that.
            No JDM . . sorry.
            Tuesday was n’kay. Nothing grand, nothing cataclysmic. That works.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Well that’s something…one must do what one must. I actually work with a couple a “yutes” who are very non-millenial-like and work pretty hard. Of course, the ones who do are not the ones who go clubbing…
            Ah well… can’t win ’em all.
            Quiet days are good too 😉

            Liked by 1 person

          • Isn’t that the troot!
            The hard working kids I know abide by a schedule which makes ME look like a millenial. God bless ’em.
            Quiet days are sometimes a very necessary thing, indeed.

            Liked by 1 person

  5. Dear Dale,

    You were a cutie. Love the picture. I remember April 14, 1974. It was the day we had our first son dedicated. (Like baptism only without the water.) He screamed through the whole service and his daddy was hungover. Memorable.
    I’d say you’re in good company for Na No. Perhaps I’ll join in in November to jump start my barely started novel.
    Your key lime pie reminded me of the time we visited a friend who had made lemon meringue pie that didn’t set up. After that we joked that we would have to get together again and drink some more pie.
    You are a marvel, my friend and a pleasure to know.
    Here’s to a happy week. L’chaim.

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Rochelle,

      You are sweet to say so. Those teeth… ugh. Isn’t that nuts how babies scream – and no water? Kinda funny hubby was hungover, though 😉 must have been hell for him…
      Yes. I am in good company indeed. I’m in the process of editing the stories I actually wrote through 2 attempts at NaNo and 1 at Camp NaNo. Following your excellent suggestion to modify them into “Dear Mick” format. I thank you and see how smart I am to surround myself with quality writers? 😁
      That’s a good and a half! Get together to drink more pie! Love it.
      Aw shucks, my friend. I do what I can…
      Lotsa love and a great week, marking the start of a fabulous vacation!

      Dale

      Liked by 1 person

  6. A good collection of thoughts. A grand dinner indeed, especially because it was put together at the last minute. Well done, and good job on the key lime soup! 😉

    Camp MaNa Mana of all women … all I have to say is Oh no!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. The ‘foreigner’ has questions, again…
    Are you saying that your b’day is on April 1st? Welcome to my most favourite family then, my dad (RIP) was born on that day, as is one of Hero Husband’s aunties (still with us!)…. In that case, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dale, even it’s slightly delayed.
    What is a key lime pie?
    What is a NaNo camp?
    Why don’t you just explain EVERYTHING you write so that I just can comment, love?! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hey! My favourite foreigner…
      Nope… I said my birthday was April 14th 😉 So… you’re early!
      Key limes are small limes from the Florida Keys. However, they are rare in these parts so I used good ole regular limes.
      NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month where you pledge to write 50K words; Camp NaNo is more lenient and can be used as an incentive to edit, write, submit, whatever number of words or works as you want. I’ve been working on a book of memories of my late husband. He has been my muse for quite some time. The man was a klutz…
      And if I explain EVERYTHING, you won’t ever write to me! So… no, you just keep on keeping on!

      Like

  9. Happy belated birthday and I’m glad you had a nice impromptu Easter! That Poorman’s Pudding sounds fabulous!!! Could you have refrozen the key lime pie?

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’ll tell my son 😉 Mine’s two weeks away…
      It is absolutely delicious.
      As for the Key Lime, we tried to for an hour but it was already 9:30… so we just slurped it up as is!

      Like

  10. Darling I don’t seem to be the only one to misunderstand your birthday date. But OK, 14th is fine too. Not as good as the first obviously but okayish……. one sis of mine has hers on the 15th, a bros in law on the 21st and so on. Tks for your patience…. now I look up klutz (although I have a hunch…) 🙂

    Like

    • I started by mentioning that Easter was on the first… then remembered MY birthday had fallen on Easter… So no worries. Just remember to wish me happy birthday in 11 days and we’re good. 😉
      What patience is needed? This is just a wonderful exchange… xoxo

      Like

  11. Key lime pie’s my favorite. We were at the CheeseCake Factory for Easter brunch. I took home some of my tacos to have room for a scrumptious piece of Key Lime pie. I love the way your family behaves, does pictures and enjoys great food.

    Liked by 1 person

    • It was Mick’s favourite too. I can’t say I blame you for making the choice to have room! My family does rock. I am truly blessed.

      Like

Comments are closed.