74

I find myself much older than I anticipated.  Somehow I never planned on being a woman in her 70s. I thought a lot about who I would marry.  Then I thought a lot about children and how I would raise them.  But I didn't think much about grandmothering.  Or being a parent of grown children.  But here I am.  I'm thinking about it all now and still trying to figure it out.

I turned 74 on Wednesday.  It was a lovely day.  My children called.  Friends sent good wishes.  I got flowers, from Layne and from son Ben.  Several local friends took me out for a Birthday Brunch.  Then it began to snow.  Huge snowflakes fell all around us, filling the roads with snow and our views with snowy fog.  After the brunch, Layne took me to Costco in this weather.  I found it magical.

Me and my flowers, plus a edible bouquet from local friends the Becks.

There were few shoppers in Costco.  Layne planned to take me Birthday shopping afterwards, but the snow was heavy so I told him I'd pick something out in Costco.  I'm happy to report that I found three tops and some tights that suited me just fine.  I suppose I should be slow to admit that my fashions are sometimes Costco-inspired.  But I'm shameless so there you go.

We drove to a car dealership to pick up a part for Grandson, Chase after our Costco adventure.  Cars were backed up all around.  It was bumper to bumper but we managed to get the part and make our way, very slowly, back home, where we were greeted by an accident that blocked off the entrance to our development.  We were stuck there for an hour while they cleaned everything up and allowed us access to the rest of the road.  So we didn't arrive home until 7 PM!  It was a day in the car, pretty much.  But the excitement of the snow storm made it interesting!

Here's Layne making his way into the dealership for Chase's car part.

The view on our drive home.

"Coldest, snowiest winter in 30 years," the locals say.  I've never lived in so much snow.  But I like it.  There has been some flooding as some of the snow has melted, but, generally, everyone seems to be adjusting.  I know I'm getting carried away talking about snow.  But I'm so taken with it.  Walking through our yard takes some time now, as the snow is several feet deep.  Each step sinks down, making balance a little challenging.  But falling is not a problem; the snow offers a soft landing.  It is all such fun!  I have a feeling this is a winter to remember for a long time.  If winters return to normal in future years that is.