This week I celebrated another birthday.

Last year I went out with my boss and a coworker to a restaurant on my big day. This year I am unemployed, so no boss or coworker. Last year my sister Pam joined me the following day with cards and a cake and an afternoon watching Ryan Trahan videos. This year my sister is dead.

So this year it was a bittersweet birthday. My sister’s husband remembered, and my surviving sister sent hugs and greetings. A couple of Facebook friends messaged a quick “Happy Birthday.” And I baked myself a cake.

I’m Catholic, so I also have a new Pope for my birthday. (I was totally fine with Pope Francis, but we move on. So welcome to Pope Leo XIV.) I spent every weekday this week at daily Mass, three days at my home parish, and two over at another church nearby. I went to confession last weekend, and took advantage of the new Holy Father’s Urbi et Orbi blessing.

My niece-in-law treated me to a birthday luncheon, so I had that as well. My birthday was sunny but humid until late and then we had hail. It’s going to be that way for a while. More severe weather today, possible hail and wind and tornadoes. It is May in Texas. This is normal.

I got a bike a few weeks ago, and have been riding around some. I don’t think it is helping much with my weight. I need to start walking again. Need to work on my diet as well. Started growing vegetables in the back room. Lettuce is happy, but everything else is slow.

Doctor put me on an antidepressent a few weeks back, so now I have more prescriptions than I can shake a stick at. This is another thing to rope me into the constant cycle of doctors, which I hate.

My birthday was OK, all things considered. I would have liked to have had Pam here. This is the first birthday without her. It is lonely but that is the way it is when we get older. Everything changes, and we just keep going.

Happy Birthday to me!