Double Digits

I crack up at the thought of my red velvet birthday cake ablaze with 66 candles. I stop and read all the funny .99 birthday cards at Walgreens and chuckle at the old women caricatures with their sagging breasts, crow's feet, missing teeth, flat bottoms, and skin that resembles crepe paper. And then something hits me and hits me HARD. 

When I gaze into a mirror (boo, hiss) it's apparent that I'm like the old sea hags represented on those greeting cards. (Except I have all of my teeth). When did it happen? Why did it happen? Can I turn the clock back? Shall I throw said clock against a wall so the second hand stops forever more?

Today I looked down and saw my 2006 Jeep odometer roll over to 106,000 miles. It made me smile. We both look good with a little wash and wax. We both need fuel to get started in the morning. Sometimes we need a little tune-up and we both enjoy smelling nice. My pen name is Ja'Nee Newman and my hunter green Liberty is called Janey. We make a fine team and neither one of us is going anywhere any time soon.

My paternal Grandpa Willis bought a new red truck at age 93 and loved to flirt with the waitresses at Helen's Cafe -- known for delicious pies. My maternal Grandma Alma enjoyed Mexican take-out food and attended two parties for her 100th birthday. She also called me that June day to say "Sweetie, I love you." Grandma passed away in her sleep one week later.

I apparently have good genes which gives me hope that I will live healthy, happy, straight and tall into my nineties. And my, the stories I will tell.

Let it be known that my first grandchild (a boy) was born on my August 26th birthday and it was the greatest gift I have ever known. He will be 20 this month and I still refer to him as My Little Man. Happy Birthday to us!