chelidon

My lovely housemate sent me a gift certificate from Amazon, which I shall use to help buy, not more books (for as she adeptly pointed out, my "to read" pile is now taller than I am, if they could actually stand that high), but for mmm, *tooooooools*. I have my eye on a wet tile-cutting saw, a small portable chainsaw sawmill (for turning fallen trees into beams and roughcut lumber), or a nice Delta bandsaw (probably too pricey, tho').

And my wacky mom dropped by for lunch with some spinach lasagna, a balloon, a bottle of wine and a sparkler stuck in a blueberry muffin, pointing out that it's the first time in 20 years that she's been within 6000 miles and able to see me on my birthday. Tomorrow night I'll take her out to dinner for her birthday, another thing that hasn't happened for 20 years. And she gave me a bright red Roomba. Ignoring the subtle message that the house is a mess, it is a very, very cool toy.

My partner just came home with a bouquet of roses (flowers?! I can't remember the last time someone bought me flowers...), a Java truffle-filled Belgian dark chocolate bar from a good local Vermont chocolatier (serving size: 42 g, servings per container: 2, percentage of daily saturated fat per serving: 39%....mmmm, good), and a bottle of my favorite Scotch, Lagavulin. *sniff* Ah, bliss...

And I got to talk on the phone with a lovely dear person who I don't get to chat with nearly enough, which always brightens my whole day. And I got sweet, sweet birthday wishes from many friends on LJ, and my in-laws called to say hello, and tonight my 5-year-old son is taking me out to someplace he picked as a surprise (I asked him where, and he said, "oh, McDonald's," with a mischievous gleam in his eye-- we grow 'em sneaky 'round here...), and there's more mayhem planned for Saturday and Sunday night, and this weekend I get to start putting down the hardwood flooring, and we've got a bardic circle coming up soon with dear old friends flying and driving in from out of town for the weekend, and then I get to go on a delicious adventuresome *vacation* for 10 whole days.

Bliss, joy, abundance, and so *much* gratitude, it's overflowing out of my mouth and dripping from my fingers and pouring from my soul like a river of riches. If the rest of the year is anything like these first few days and weeks are shaping up to be, my year is made.

Life is good.

-------
Out in the wild, blood thrumming through me
arms wide open, to welcome the sun
A run from those spaces enclosed in cold shadow
A deep, green desiring that summons me on!

Love blue with promise, the sky opens to me
Scent of sweet roses infuses the air!
Madness is rooted in the growing of flowers
Order is sundered by beauty's wild push!"
-- T. Thorn Coyle, "The Green" (from album, "Face of a New Day")