Backyard Farms

It's my birthday today and although embracing the idea that I'm getting older is no longer quite as exciting as it once was, there's still plenty to celebrate. I love being a March baby and tho the weather can be anything from full on blizzard to unseasonably warm, it will always be spring in 2 days, at least on the calendar!

For my 47th birthday I thought it would be fun to take a look back at previous celebrations and memories. Here are some random birthday moments

Every year my dad likes to tell the story of how he threatened to name me Colleen if I was born on St Patrick's Day and how my mother (of Scots and French Canadian heritage) was so horrified at the idea that she refused to go into labour until the day after and then named me a very Scottish name!

Some years my dad mails me a St Paddy's/birthday card addressed to _____ Colleen Mc_____. (There is no Mc in my surname.) Often they will be mailed from places with Irish sounding names. He did a similar thing to my very Scottish grandmother for years but always signed it with my uncle's name.

Pretty much every birthday cake I've ever had has had Shamrocks on it. Which is fine because I don't like cake anyhow but I do like the colour green and I'm fond of shamrocks, particularly ones made of icing. I'm also partial to birthday PIE!

Every year on my birthday, my mom and whichever small children she can locate (siblings when there were still some at home, now nieces and nephews) call me first thing in the morning to sing me Happy Birthday. (A similar ritual happens at the first snowfall every year at which point they sing "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.)

Because it falls the day after St Paddy's I have woken with a hangover on my birthday more often that I care to admit. Sometimes the singing ritual hurts my head but I always answer the phone no matter how badly I feel.

March 18th is the last day of Pisces and the last full day of the zodiac cycle. According to the Book of Birthdays, those born on this day are destined to repeat the same things again and again until they gain enlightenment. That pretty much sums up my life in a nutshell!

On my tenth birthday I had a cast on my arm from a skiing accident. It was my first broken bone (first of many...)

On my eleventh birthday I had chicken pox. Everywhere.(Thankfully I don't have any pictures of that!)

From the time I was 15 until I turned 20 I wrote myself a letter on my birthday to be opened the following year. I still have those letters and they are full of hopes and plans and fun glimpses of my teenage self.( Dear 16, No I still don't have my drivers license. I suck. Love, 47)

The only surprise party I have ever had was for my 33rd birthday and I almost didn't show up because I was busy hanging out with Van Halen at a record store Meet and Greet. (The security guard offered to have Eddie sing me Happy Birthday at gun point but I declined.) I was 2 hours late for my own party but thankfully my friends forgave me - most of them were disappointed I didn't bring the band with me!

On my 40th birthday I was working a concert and the musical director had the entire audience wish me happy birthday. I however was busy off doing something and missed my cue to appear on stage (On purpose- I have total stage fright and am completely happy hiding in the wings.) Colette threw me an awesome 40th birthday party a few days later where we played twister, musical chairs scavenger hunt and had a pinata!