Sunday, February 14, 2021

Mosaic Monday #118: Another Revolution Around the Sun

Hello, my dear readers.  I am grateful to report that this week I have celebrated another revolution around the sun.  No, no need to know how many that makes!!!  (And those of who you do know, no need to share my secret in the comments!!!)

Once again, greetings from far and wide have blessed me - don't we all need at least one day a year to be in the spotlight and to be spoiled?  Family, former work colleagues, former and current neighbors - each wish for a happy birthday was a little ray of sunshine, adding up to a whole lot of warmth!  And these days, salutations come in so many forms - e-cards, FaceBook comments, email, texts and even cards that come via the US Postal Service!!!


It's even better when the celebration extends either side of the day itself.  Why limit the fun to just one 24-hour period, when it can last a week or two?  Cards began arriving a week before my birthday, and my Dear Neighbor Friend showered me with gifts four days early.   She gave me enough cinnamon rolls to feed an army; a wise move given that #1 Son and Spousal Unit have access!  You might recognize the moose bar of soap - it was in my 1/24/2021 post.  So thoughtful to get it for me - she knows I ADORE moose!  The slim box with "Thank You" on the front contains printable card stock and envelopes - perfect for the card-making I love to do!  And the Nature Valley granola bars are "payback, with interest" on one that I gave her a while back.  We had a good laugh over that one!!!

Around the time of my birthday, I can also be fairly expansive in my definition of "gifts".  A couple of days before my special day, a deer began to pass through the "back yard", pausing under the birdfeeders to snack on fallen sunflower seeds.  Yep, that display is just for me!!!



I can ski for hours in cold temperatures, but when we get home, there is no substitute for a fire and a warming cocktail for me/a bourbon for Spousal Unit!

We've had quite a bit of snow lately (good news around these parts) and that "gift" meant I needed to pull out my snowshoes for the first time this winter.  The 'shoes have special meaning for me since they were one of my retirement surprises from my team four years ago.  What a joy to climb the hills, to gain a new vantage point, to see pure white snow broken only by my tracks.



My birthday began as it should, with breakfast in bed!  Later, I moved to the great room and alternated between stitching and gazing out the window.  Spousal Unit and #1 Son indulged me by joining in a snowshoeing venture around the back forty.  (In the collage below, Spousal Unit and I are standing on the ice in front of the beaver lodge.)
When we returned to the house, I stopped to fill up the birdfeeders, and asked Spousal Unit to snap some shots while I fed a few by hand.  The mountain chickadees are fearless, and the black-capped chickadees are starting to get into the game.  The nuthatches wait patiently among the aspens.  Here I am with a black-capped chickadee.

By the time I got inside, the boys had placed cards and gifts around my spot at the table, and lit the candles on my cake.  I had to puff a couple of times to get all the candles out!  Oh, that carrot cake sure hit the spot after our walk in the woods.

Not pictured below is a certificate for a massage, and a new trail cam that is on back order.  I am quite thrilled about this trail cam, which will allow me to retrieve photos remotely!  I will have so many more options for placement of the camera - watch this space for (more) exciting wildlife photos!  Oh, and we decided to call the latest addition to my moose collection "Lord Mountbatten".


We played a few rounds of Rummikub, and then we ate a home-made version of Skyline Chili, my requested birthday meal.  Can you say food coma?


I could go on and on through time, counting my many gifts, but even I have to close this birthday chapter, for now.  What better way than to come full circle to my DNF, and our cross-country skiing excursion, the day after my birthday?




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While I have been busy celebrating another year of life, many others have not been so blessed.  As of the date of this post, 496,208 US residents have died from COVID, and the world has lost more than 2.3 million souls to the pandemic.    Closer to home, I recently became aware of the suicide of a 24-year-old man who was the brother of an Olympian from Whitefish, Montana.  Back in November, a 27-year-old woman attempted suicide by crashing her car at a high rate of speed into the train depot in Whitefish.  Unfortunately, I could go on.  According to the CDC, in 2018, suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34 in the US; there were more than 2.5 times the number of suicides as homicides.   Stay close to those you love; if you think someone is in crisis, or you need to talk to someone, in the US you can call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK(2855), 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  


Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time). 
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Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back. 
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by. 
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully. 
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 


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34 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday!! I'd loved to have tasted one of your cinnamon rolls! It look delicious! OH! Happy Valentines Day!

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  2. ...you certainly have a gorgeous area to celebrate another birthday, it's good to hear that it was a festive one. Thanks for hostiing.

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  3. The many blessings!! I'd be excited over the trail cam too!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY even if it's a little late. Keep on celebrating and sharing.
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

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  4. I am happy you had a great birthday. And was able to go on the glorious snow hiking. You live in such a beautiful place. I wish I had a piece of that nature. And, the snow ads to the beauty!
    Take care.

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  5. It sure looks like you enjoyed a fun time! Happy Revolution Day from all of us and Happy Valentine's Day too!

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  6. Happy Birthday! I'm glad you were well celebrated! Enjoy the snow.

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  7. Happy Birthday, Angie!!! It looks like you had a wonderful day and were well pampered by your family. Happy Valentine's Day!

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  8. Oh would I love some of your cool snow, I am sitting here one sweaty Betty reading your lovely post Angie. Happy Birthday to you, it looks like a fantastic birthday - family, fresh air and exercise and some amazing gifts. And here's to a fabulous Year of The Ox too!
    Thanks you for hosting.
    Wren x

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  9. Blessings, Angie, and
    Happy Birthday

    You wrote of a fantastisc Party! You and your Family celebrate your Birthday well.

    Happy Valentine too ♥️♥️♥️

    Hugs, Heidrun

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  10. Happy Birthday, Angie! You’re so nicely celebrated both in quality and quantity. The front digit of the number of my age will turn next month. Isn't it thrilling? I like the way how you displayed the cards by the window with the nice view of snow outside. Take care, and enjoy snow.

    Yoko

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  11. Best wishes for your birthday, Angie. May you enjoy many more happy returns of the day together with those you love. The snow looks lovely. We have a hot Summer week ahead...

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  12. Happy Birthday sweet lady! You're my kind of girl....trail cams and chili for a special dinner! We would be best friends in real life for sure! I'm so happy you got some special treatment on your birthday! Have a beautiful week and keep celebrating! Birthday hugs coming your way!

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  13. Happy Birthday Angie! So glad you enjoyed your day and thank you for sharing all the wonderful views and smiles!

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  14. Happy Birthday Angie! :) Sounds like you had a very fun day, I LOVE that little plush moose!!! Cocktails by the fire sounds like heaven! :)

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  15. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGIE. Mine was last Thursday

    much love...

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  16. A very happy belated birthday to you. I love extended celebrations as we grow older. Such beautiful pristine snow to venture out in. You made some good tracks! How fun to be able to look back and see your home across that very large meadow? Love the photo of the wee birdie eating from your hand. My kids just made reservations for my milestone birthday in March at Churchhill's in Spokane since Spokane can now enter phase 2 reopening. Hope you have a good week!

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  17. Happy belated Birthday! I have cinnamon rolls this week too. Sweet minds think alike.

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  18. Yay for a happy birthday!! It looks like you had a wonderful time. Lots of snow lately and snowing here today. I of course love it. Take care and stay well. Hubby got his first shot. 😊 Kit

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  19. Whoooo-hooo! Cheers, Angie, on starting another new adventure around the sun! I love your hairdo. Very cute and chic. :-)

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  20. What a fun, interesting and long birthday you had----nothing wrong with spreading it out for a few days. MY BIRTHDAY comes and goes sometimes with nary a hello---I think that is fine but now I am in my dotterage I would like a celebration. Who knows. I want snowshoes too
    MB

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  21. A wonderful Birthday Celebration you had ... and well-deserved. Belated wishes for another good rotation! (And yes, while being aware that it has not been — and will not be —a good year for so many. I struggle with guilt feelings sometimes, because we are doing fine, but realize that my being “down” will be of no help to anyone. ) You are helping by getting your message out there.

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  22. Happy birthday! Looks like you have had a lovely birthday day and week and were deservedly spoilt. And with snow to add to the joy! Enjoy! Stay safe and have a great week.

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  23. It looks like you had a special birthday. Thank you for sharing it. Stay safe!

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  24. Happy Birthday, Angie! I wish you only good things and plenty of them.
    Amalia
    xo

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  25. Happy Belated Birthday Angie.

    These are sad times. We just last week lost one of our local bird ringers, a lovely guy "Little Dave". He had a fall at home and needed an urgent hip operation. He was doing well until he caught the virus in the hospital and passed away.

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  26. There is so much tragedy in the world, especially at this moment in time, and justice is not always seen. So a chance to celebrate a birthday is icing on the cake for every up and down life. Belated Happy Birthday, Angie, and may you have many many more turns around the sun!

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  27. Absolutely stunning example Angie, the Deer is the first photo, beautiful. And the feeding by hand, astounding.

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  28. Looks like a wonderful celebration!

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  29. Happy belated Birthday Angie! A week of celebrations sounds like a fun time. Take care, have a happy weekend!

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  30. Happy belated birthday, Angie. Glad you had a great time celebrating with your family. Have a great weekend.

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  31. Happy belated birthday Angie, looks like you had a fun time. Lkve your snow photos, so refreshing to see after ahot day here yesterday.

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  32. Many Happy Belated Birthday Wishes.
    So pleased you had some wonderful celebrations.

    All the best Jan

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