We wanted to stay in our cheap motel in Williamstown, Massachusetts last night after seeing Henrik Ibsen’s Ghost at the Williamstown Theater Festival for Jon’s birthday. But Nicole, our dog sitter was all booked up.
I told Jon I’d take him to the racetrack in Saratoga, or to a museum and lunch, both things he would usually like, but he wasn’t interested in doing either. So I told him I’d skip Bellydancing and take him out to dinner. But he said we could go out to dinner anytime and Bellydancing was only once a week.
When I finally asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, instead of trying to come up with ideas, he said he wanted was to go to Jean’s diner for a pancake breakfast.
So this morning I got up to feed the animals then got back in bed where we stayed till 9:30, then we were off to Jean’s.
Jon does’t really like birthday celebrations. He’s rather see the day as a time to reflect on where he is in life. But after the shock and embarrassment of being sung Happy Birthday to at Jean’s, being given a big plate of muffins from a blog reader and getting a candle in his breakfast, he did enjoy it too.
In the past I’ve taken Jon on a balloon ride for his birthday or to expensive Inn’s overnight or fancy dinners.
This year, I got Jon three pairs of socks, all book themed from Battenkill Books (I wouldn’t tell him where I got them so I can buy him more before he buys them for himself). Yesterday he got a home made cake and photo’s from Sue and the kids at Bishop Maginn High School. Today he got to share some muffins with the people at The Mansion and bring Kelsie, at Joan’s diner, a photo he took of her and write a really great birthday poem. This evening there was a video from his granddaughter, Robin, singing him Happy Birthday (it really is the cutest thing) and for dinner he got make a pizza, which I was fortunate enough to enjoy after Bellydancing.
It was a quiet and sweet day, ordinary in some ways, but very special and meaningful in other ways.
Jon looks like one happy camper! 🙂