Yesterday was a spent at Mom's, helping her celebrate her birthday.  (We didn't have a birthday cake after lunch, but ever seen a birthday candle held over a Hershey Kiss?) Of course we played a number of games of Rummikub, and the score has started out very lop-sided even though we're pretty evenly matched.  ( Maybe I should have let her win despite her crappy tiles? Nope! <g>) 

I went through the earrings she's culled from her collection; a couple of pairs will be added to mine and the rest will go into the next yard sale. She also had several bags of clothes she no longer wanted for me to rummage through, and there were some pants I liked - but all were too small for me.  As was the shirt/sweater of hers I changed into before Andy & Sandy picked us up to go out to dinner last night. 

We dined at the same restaurant where we had celebrated Dad's 90th birthday seven years ago.  Their food is certainly scrumptious, though pricier than I'm used to. It was a wonderful evening, and Mom seemed to really appreciate her special day.  She got very pretty heart earrings from them, and the giraffe bag from me. Plus she got to blow out another candle when dessert arrived. I took some photographs (of course the camera gave me fits and refused to cooperate, though I think I did get a couple of usable ones) but have no way to access and share them until after my return home later this month. 

Alex had called to wish Mom a Happy Birthday just as we were getting ready to head downstairs to leave for dinner, so that was of necessity a short conversation.  Lisa called Mom after we dropped her back home after dinner (which took longer than it should have because our waiter actually did clock and go home between dinner and when we wanted to order dessert!) I was a little concerned when she texted me that Mom wasn't answering her phone even after several tries at calling... but it does help considerably if you have the right phone number...!

This morning it's still raining.  I don't have the car yet (I was not going to drive it back here in the dark, and Sandy was not going to drive it back after having wine with dinner) and she can't drive me over until the workmen finish replacing a couple of bad windows with something (mold?) between the double panes. We hope they finish in time for us to do lunch with Mom.  One of the windows is in the worst possible spot, in the living room next to where the bird feeder hangs outside, which really compromises the view - and of course photographs.  Wednesday I saw some beautiful red finches feeding.