Celebrate, Food

A Birthday Weekend of Simple Pleasures

73 Comments

Sunday, September 15 was my 67th birthday.  By a fun coincidence, it was also the anniversary of Agatha Christie’s 134th birthday. (I have been reading Christie and have joined our library’s Agatha Christie Book Club.)

Instead of getting a small present from Clif, I asked for a weekend of simple pleasures. He readily agreed, noting that we have a house full of lovely things, and we don’t need any additions.

Fortunately, the weather gods were on our side, and the weather was absolutely perfect—sunny and warm but not too hot.

On Saturday, we went to Bolley’s Famous Franks, not for their hot dogs—we are all vegetarians—but for their utterly delicious hand-cut fries. My oh my, they were good. Clif is a fan of onion rings, and we added that to the mix. Because the weather was so fine, we were able to eat outside.

After that, it was on to Hallowell to sit by the Kennebec River, eat donuts, and watch the rippling water.

A couple resting and enjoying the view
Upriver. Those clouds are irresistible.

 

By the river, two things happened that made me smile. First, when we got there and decided to move our chairs into the shade, a group of women jumped from their chairs to help us with ours.

The second was a hobbit’s birthday kind of thing, where you give rather than receive. As we left, I notice two bike riders, a man and a woman, not far from us. Clif and I were once keen bike riders, and I stopped to talk to them. As we spoke, I could see by their red faces how hot they were from their ride. I remembered feeling that way. I also remembered how warm the water would get in our water bottles on the bike. That water was better than nothing, but it wasn’t refreshing. In our cooler were a couple of cans of sparkling water, kept cold by an ice pack.

“Would you like a can of sparkling water?” I asked.

The woman hesitated only for a moment. “Why, yes we would.”

We tried to give her two, but she insisted that one was enough.

She thanked us kindly, and as I made my way to the car, I reflected on how we had received and we had given, a good balance, it seems to me.

Then home we went, to enjoy drinks on the patio and after that to watch the movie Get Shorty, still delightful after nearly twenty years.

Sunday, my actual birthday, was another fine day.  And what did we do? Longtime readers will not be surprised to read that we went to the movies in the afternoon to see the excellent thriller Speak no Evil. (For those who are little squeamish, the way I am, I want to assure you there isn’t much gore and no jump-scare scenes.)

Because it was my actual birthday, after the movie we stopped at Fielder’s Choice in Manchester for ice cream. Mine was a hot fudge sundae with peanut butter soft serve. So good!

Supper that night was by the fire pit, where we roasted veggie sausages and had  s’mores for dessert.

Here is the line-up.

We had never cooked veggie sausages over an open flame. As it turns out, they do very well cooked over a fire, and during the fall, we plan on roasting them again this way.

In the next to the last picture, you might have noticed two candles—making the number 66—in a bowl. Those were from my cake last year, and I decided to keep them until my 67th birthday, where I could burn them down.

In with the new, and out with the old.

Note: Next weekend, Shannon and Mike plan on coming to Maine where we can celebrate both Clif’s birthday (September 27) along with mine.

We certainly are a family that likes to celebrate.

73 thoughts on “A Birthday Weekend of Simple Pleasures”

  2. Happy happy birthday Laurie, it looks like you had the finest of celebrations and there’s still more to come! 🤗🎉🎂

  10. A belated.Happy Birthday to You! I love the idea of small pleasures over more clutter. I also love the Hobbit style of meals merging into each other and gift as well as receiving. And more celebrating to come…hooray!!

  11. Belated happy birthday from me too. I don’t always believe that it is better to give than to receive but it is always a good feeling when you do it.

  15. It all sounds so delightful! I love the idea of burning down last year’s candle numbers. Great symbolism, and a great way to move them on. I found out they don’t age well once they are out of the package.

  16. Happy birthday Laurie, and Clif…coming up! I love the idea of burning down last year’s candle.
    Lovely to have the whole family celebrating.. alway fun to have the family at home.

  17. Your description bubbles with joy! I am glad you enjoyed such a delightfully extended birthday and look forward to hearing about the double celebration later 🙂 🙂

  21. A belated happy Birthday! I love the idea of celebrating with simple pleasures. Like you I have all the ‘stuff’ I need so treats are much nicer to receive.

  23. Happy Birthday! Your celebration with simple pleasures looks divine. What a way to spend the weekend!

    Here’s to another year 🙂

  26. Kindesses given, kindesses received. We need more of that in the world! It sounds like a perfect birthday weekend, mostly because you appreciate those small pleasures, and don’t expect fancy gifts. Belated happy birthday!

  27. Happy Belated Birthday, Laurie! I’m a “September baby,” too, so I vicariously enjoyed celebrating with you — and it looks like you had a weather-perfect weekend!

  28. What an absolutely fabulous birthday menu and weekend!! The sundae looks so good and love the fire pit dining! Speak No Evil is definitely on my list and I plan on watching the original film this week. Happy Birthday!!🎂🥂

    1. It was a fun weekend of treats. Cooking over the fire pit was a great way to cap the birthday weekend. I have never seen the original Speak No Evil, but I understand there are big differences between the two.

  29. Happy birthday to you, Laurie, and to Clif for his upcoming birthday! What a wonderful way to spend the time, and I love the “hobbit’s birthday” gift of sparkling water to the bike riders!

    Enjoy the time celebrating again with family when they come to visit.

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  35. Laurie, I like the way you celebrate, enjoying lifes simple pleasures, giving and receiving with grace, and indulging in your favorite foods. Happy birthday!

    In the summer, Mike BBQs veggie Field Roast Sausages and makes shish kabobs with tomatoes, onions, the sausages, and peppers. They’re fun and special.

    I”m glad you’re getting out to see movies again. We saw Beatlejuice Beatlejuice last weekend, and delighted in the silliness.

      2. So true! Clif, Dee, and I are keen movie-goers, too, and go most every week. But like you, we watch a lot of streaming, which I agree doesn’t compare with the experience of going to the movies.

  36. What a wonderful way to celebrate your birthday, Laurie. You and Clif had wonderful gentle quiet adventures that enrich me just reading about them! And I love the story about the sparkling water. Wholehearted living, to both receive and to giver!

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