because the grandchildren were not available on the 3rd.
So on the day I had my H1N1 shot, opened cards and E-mails from friends,
put on my new fleece from Laurie to walk Chelsea in the newly cold air,
went rowing and saw three seals playing, listened to various grandchildren choirs
sing Happy Birthday over the phone, and had a fine dinner at a new local restaurant
with Laurie and Kelly.
On the 4th we bought the Christmas tree and the kids arrived to decorate it
On the 5th, the climax of the festivities finally arrived with the ice cream cake,
which was an enormous hit with everyone, their joy heightened by
my bumbling attempts to blow out the vast number of candles,
which almost set my beard on fire.
