The Happiest Woman in the World!

Okay, I know I am tempting the Gods by saying this but today I felt like the happiest woman in the world and I must admit that I often feel this way! Perhaps it is my nature, perhaps it is my circumstances, inheritance, maybe it is chemistry or brain structure, but I just find happiness everywhere and today on my 78th Birthday, I was especially aware of the extraordinary beauty of the Fall Day, the trees were lush with gold, extravagant with blood red illumination, and delicate and exquisite with pale sun gilded leaves hanging on to the very thin lacy ends of the bare branches.

The day began with a trip to the Nail Salon for my monthly pedicure. So here is the balance: my back, hip and knees are so stiff and my eyesight so diminished I can no longer do my own toe nails and they MUST be done! If you let them go too long they can bend in or break off - both bad circumstances. At my favorite nail salon of the past 8 years, Wonder Nails in Audubon inside the Pine Plaza, the ladies are all familiar to me and unfailingly gentle, polite and calming. Today they had a show on tv where Chinese peasants were growing fields of food and a woman was foraging and bringing back interesting fruits and greens and cooking them in a huge kitchen in such large quantities that she used a kind of small shovel to stir them. Then when the dumplings were steamed and the vegetables were boiled in broth, a group of people came and sat around a huge table and ate with their Akita looking on. Maybe it was a commune. Anyhow, the music was calming and the scenery was lovely and my feet were so happy to be trimmed and soaked and pampered after all their hard work.

Next, I drove to meet Barb Solem at The Station for lunch. I had breakfast croissant and creamy pumpkin soup which was delicious! We chatted and Barb gave me a card which I hated but, of course, I didn't say so. It was a fat lady on a recliner with a cat on her stomach. I laughed but it was insulting. I left it on the table and she went back for it, so I put it in my pocket, but when I got home, it was gone - my birthday karma made it disappear! I don't care if it was true, it was mean.

At home, Yard Guy Bobby came and took out an invasive shrub from my beautiful Juniper where I usually hang Christmas lights each year, and he mulch mowed the yard because I am not leaf blowing any more due to environmental impact of the noise and the fumes and also because my e-mail news feed has had a few articles about how good the leaves are for the earth and insects. It was only $80, which I thought was quite fair.

Lavinia called and told me about the progress of her "Love All Alices" theater and film project. And she told me about Justin's musical Stereophonics, and her plans for Thanksgiving and her birthday - Kentucky for Thaksgiving and Woodstock, then Atlantic City for her birthday. When she comes home at Christmas, I asked her to reserve a Sunday so she can look at the old SODAT building because she has some music and art friends who might be interested in space! I will put that on a back burner for the time being. I don't want any more troubled waters with Dietrich, the obstackle and disappointment maker.

Anyhow, back to the happiness, All day and all week I have felt immensely fortunate to have had such a great life and to have such a great life right now!

On Sunday, our new WFM visitor, Francis brought pumpkin bread to Meeting, Jenny and Landon brought cookies and Jerome and Susan threw me a bagel bar party in what was the SODAT reception area. They cleaned it all up and it is going to be the Woodbury Friends Art Gallery soon! What a surprise and what a wonderful thing to hope about. We just need to do a few other things - painting mainly.

Family all well, Sue and Joe contacted and Neal and daughter, texts with Alex and the world in my small sphere is turning in balance and grace. I feel enormously fortunate in every way! I just want to say THANK YOU! to the fates, the gods, karma, whatever directs the flow of human affairs! Also to my parents and ancestors who brought me here.

Happy Trails from Jo Ann on my 78th Birthday November 13, 2023