My son is such a sweetie....I think

At least he's thoughtful....I think. The phone rang at 4:17 this morning (yes, I was awake, but it's still jarring when you have 3 kids who don't live at home.) He was calling to wish me happy birthday since he won't be home this weekend. At least this time it didn't involve him bringing a cat home. And I have him well trained for the first words out of his mouth to be "I'm ok" (usually followed by "....but," in his case) when he calls between midnight and dawn. Too many middle-of-the-night calls about who the Braves played against in the first home game at Turner Field, and when was Picasso alive and painting, and how do you spell .......? Does anyone else have grown boys who play full-contact Scrabble until the wee hours? One time too many of that can't-catch-your-breath feeling when the phone rings and you're expecting "This is officer Obie and we need you to come down" and you get "what's that old saying about beating your wife with a stick and where did it come from?" instead. (BTW, every single one of those are actual questions that I've gotten from him at some point between 1:00 and 5:00 am) I have a lot of friends who think I'm insane for not putting a stop to him calling for trivial stuff like that, but I'd rather keep the lines with him open and deal with the late calls that shut him down and risk all the other calls he makes at "normal" hours. It's never a bad thing to have kids who feel free to talk to you at ANY time for ANY reason.

My youngest daughter came by last night and dropped off a Hobby Lobby gift certificate for me since she was headed out to MS State for the weekend and wouldn't be around today. My oldest daughter (who actually attends State) is coming home this morning for a much-needed break. I'm heading out about noon to visit a friend of mine in New Orleans. I don't get many chances to have time with just the 2 of us so I'm really looking forward to it. Her husband travels and is gone this weekend and she just got one of her girls married off so we'll have a lot of re-connect time. Missy is "The Keeper of All Things Yat" and knows more New Orleans and cajun tradition and lore and history than anyone I know. She's also one of the sweetest and smartest and funniest women I've ever met, and drop-dead beautiful. This will be the 4th or 5th year in a row I've been out of town on my birthday and my husband claims the birthday doesn't count if I'm not here, so I guess in his time I'm actually about 43. I tell people I'm 61 though. That way, they're amazed at how good I look for my age rather than thinking I look rode hard and put up wet. I never understood lying young about your age. Lie old, very old, is my theory.

I'm hoping to get some strokes of genius for design ideas in New Orleans. She has always given me inspiration and motivation. I think my muse must live there or something. Probably in one of those apartments over the shops in the Quarter. With wrought iron and ferns. And hardwood floors that squeak. And peeling paint. I have to visit her every so often to recharge myself. New Orleans recharges my heart, the Gulf coast recharges my soul.