A Different Sort Of Birthday Celebration

Tomorrow Magnolia June will be ten years old. 
Can you believe that? August turned ten in September and now Maggie is hitting the double digits too. It was so lovely, seeing Jessie and Lily go through pregnancy and birth at essentially the same time and watching the little bebes as they grew and changed together. 
Here's one picture from when they were three years old. 

Sorry. I lied. One picture is not enough. 

Look at those blonde curls, those darling smiles, their little feetsies, the way they were already connecting. 
They have known and loved each other their entire lives. 

So when I asked Magnolia if she wanted to go out with me today to celebrate her birthday, I figured she might like to include August and Levon, too. The cuzzies. They've had no time together this whole past holiday because of the hoopacudis the boys had. 
And she very much wanted them to be there too. 
Jessie agreed that was a good idea and our little adventure was a trip to Oak Tree Treasures so that Maggie could pick out a present and then lunch at the movie theater!!!! before we watched Zootopia 2.
Jessie arranged that part, buying the tickets beforehand as one does these days. 
I'll just say that the movie-going experience has changed so much in the last decade or so that I don't even think it's worth it to go. But the kids love it and Jessie swore that Zootopia 1 was pretty darn good with lots of jokes for adults that kids didn't get and I knew the kiddos would love it so what could I do but agree? 
And the kids did love it. I did not hate it but my Lord, it was busy and the plot ranged from, well, maybe to what the fuck is going on now? 
But you know, plot is vastly overrated sometimes. 
It was also loud. I cannot believe the volume at which theaters play their films these days and the preview trailers are the worst. I finally had to take my hearing aids OUT and stuff bits of paper napkins in my ears, just as I used to do when I went out to hear loud bands. 

Of course the seats in movie theaters recline now and are so comfortable that it's almost impossible not to fall asleep in them, no matter how loud the movie is. I deliberately kept my chair in the upright position for almost the entire length of the movie but in the last fifteen minutes or so I got very drowsy, thought, "fuck it," reclined like a boss, and did indeed fall asleep. 
Sort of. 

But it was not about me although the way I've written about it makes it sound as if I think it is and, okay, yeah, from my own body and my own set of eyeballs and ears and so forth, it was about me. But I got to spend birthday time with my granddaughter and the cousins got to spend time together and all three of them got new-ish Smushmallows (look 'em up if you don't have grandchildren) and watching the three of them hug before we got in our separate cars to go home was worth all of it. Maggie thanked me many times, not just for the day out but also for inviting August and Levon too. Tomorrow night there is a supper planned but since Glen's out of town and I don't drive at night, today's outing was how I got to spend time with Maggie and hopefully, make her feel special. 

And tomorrow I plan to stay right here in Lloyd and pull weeds. I want that and I need that more than words can say. 

Oh- many of you asked for a picture of me in the garment I got yesterday and I took this one

but of course the back is where the interest lies and for the life of me, I could not get a picture of that. Oh well. I will say that when we were in Oak Tree Treasures buying Squishmallows, a woman remarked on the jacket/dress/tunic and told me how unique it was. I told her I got it at Goodwill and she said, "You have a good eye."
"Thank you," I said. I knew I wouldn't regret buying that thing. 

Love...Ms. Moon