May 8, 2017
11:20 p.m.

I attempted to write a post on my birthday, which was a few days ago. Oh my, another year older.
I am completely floored: another year has gone by! I got a little sidetracked though, because...politics. Grr. Ugh. Phooey!

But, I digress.

I was recently asked my age, and the question left me speechless. Not because I'm one of those "Never ask a woman her age" women--I couldn't care less if someone wants to ask me how old I am. I was just speechless because for a few seconds there, I couldn't come up with a number!

No, I'm not going senile.

Yes, I know there are those of you who would argue with me about that. To you, I offer a "raspberry". I can still draw the face of a clock accurately, so there!

(I'm waiting with bated breath for someone to ask me what that means. Please ask!)

Think about it, though. Think about how quickly we went from May 2000 to May 2017. I'm serious, it went by FAST.

I moved to Colorado in 1999, but I celebrated my first birthday here in May, 2000. I meant to stay here for only a couple of years, but I'm still here! Nearly two decades have gone by. Wow.

My first grandchild was born in 1999. She's graduating High School later this month. Wow.

Since 1999 I have graduated from college myself and held five different jobs. I've become disabled and had to retire. I've spent the last couple of years working toward a goal of coming out of retirement in a new profession. I'm not so sure that will work out, but I have hope.

Just in case the job stuff didn't work out, I wrote and published a novella. I am now in the process of editing my novel, which took me the better part of six months and a ton of research to write.

I ALWAYS wanted to be a writer; I'm not too old to make some dreams come true. That's good to know.

That darned disability thing, now...I've been in the hospital for one thing or another several times. It's a drag, and I continue to fight back, because...dang it, I'm too young for retirement.

Since 1999 I've been blessed with eight more grandchildren. I have nine grandchildren!

And I don't quite believe it, you know? How did all those things happen so darned fast? Can it really be that almost eighteen years have gone by in the time I could blink? Because it really seems that way sometimes.

So...how old am I? Well, what year is it again? Let me count...OH MY GOD!!! Really?!

Yeah. I'm an elder. Who would have ever thought it?

I don't feel any older than I did five days ago. Or last year. Or the year 2000.

Now, this is not to say that there haven't been times in between when I have felt decidedly OLDER. Times when I have been sick or in pain, I felt VERY old. Times when the insomnia has taken over the building--BIG TIME old.

(No need to remind me that it is high time I was in bed, and that I will soon feel older due to lack of sleep--you're preachin' to the choir.)

I had a nice birthday. My daughter fed me chocolate cake. People sang to me. I got a ton of messages from friends. It's nice to be reminded once in a while that there are people out there thinking about you.

On Saturday I was delighted to join my "twin", Ken, for dinner and a movie. We try to get together for our shared birthday and catch up on what's going on in our lives. We had a very nice time watching "Guardians of the Galaxy 2". He gave it seven stars out of ten. I'm more generous--I give it eight.

So, to all those who wished me a "Happy Birthday" a few days ago--THANK YOU! To Ken, who gave me a nice evening out--THANK YOU! To my family--THANK YOU!

Another year older.

Yikes.

Good night.