Thumper Thinks Out Loud

Thank you for all the happy birthday wishes; I had a very nice day, capped off with some really cool presents and CAKE. The Spouse Thingy and I played a few truly horrible games of pool in the afternoon, during which we were majorly distracted by the fire department in the parking lot (a good excuse for playing so poorly,) where they were trying to break into a car to get the hood up in order to rescue a kitty that had somehow gotten under there. We can only surmise that the kitty belonged to the lady that was in the van parked next to it, since she seemed the most frantic, and if it had been her car, she would have just opened the hood herself…at least that makes the most sense to me. We’re not sure where the car’s owner was.

I was kinda thrilled to see that the fire department AND a cop would come out for a kitty rescue. When we first noticed them we thought maybe a kid was locked in the car, but after several minutes of musing and surmising, we decided we really wanted to know what the heck was going on, so the Spouse Thingy wandered outside just as they were getting the hood open. So :::hand clapping::: kudos to the Vacaville Fire Department for not blowing it off as some random kitty stuck where it would eventually either climb out on its own, or die from the heat and/or when someone started the car.

This is the same FD that rescued a dog locked in another car while we were shopping a few weeks ago. :::more clapping:::

We went out for dinner and as soon as we got home the Boy made me a birthday cake (white with chocolate frosting, my favorite) and then I got PRESENTS. The Boy gave me a couple of CDs (Weezer and Modest Mouse; he’s helping me expand my musical horizons) and a book I’ve wanted since it came out in 2000 (Philip Roth’s The Human Stain.) Spouse Thingy gave me a couple of t-shirts and a Van Gogh print. I already have Starry Night; he found one in the Starry Night series I had never seen before, and had it framed to match my other one. There’s one more in the series I want, Café Terrace, and I may just go out and get that one myself :)

Even the cats decided to give me something for my birthday: they did not spend half the night running up and down the hall chasing each other; there was no wrestling, no talking to each other, no fighting, no backsides plopped down on my face in the middle of the night, and no midnight bathroom singing. They were quiet. And isn’t that what everyone tells their kids when asked what they want for their birthday? “Peace and Quiet.”

I got that and cake!

I have to admit, I spent a good deal of the day thinking about Anne, wondering how her family was coping on her first birthday away from them. But a big part of me thinks that she’s up there with our mutual friend Moe, raising a little hell, whipping all the pets waiting at the Rainbow Bridge into a playful frenzy and having loud, laughter-laden arguments about the New York Yankees and Sheffield Wednesday.

But I had a terrific day, and there’s leftover cake. I might even share.