Golly! Thanks everybody!
Today, I woke up way too early to a phone call from my very good buddy in Georgia, and he was calling to sing Happy Birthday to me. The first wish of the day! Then, my step dad called, and the calls came all day.
At work, the book keeper coordinated a cake for me, and they all sneaked into my office while I was out back and when I walked into my office there they all stood and sang Happy Birthday--all off key and out of order, the way I like it! (I'm a Muppets fan, it wouldn't be right if I didn't love it to be wrong and crazy!)--and some Breyer's ice cream.
I came home, mowed my grass, talked to my mom some and other folks who called, and went to dinner at The Spaghetti Warehouse with several of my friends. Everybody got me such great things: Avatar Season 2 on DVD, A Peanuts T-shirt, Animal T-shirt, a homemade Peanuts pillow, an Indiana Jones playset thing (with snakes in it because everybody knows I hate snakes!)...other great things.
At dinner, I told them all that I appreciated the presents, but even moreso appreciated the PRESENCE! I said the greatest gift of all is friendship, and I'm one of those lucky people in the world to be blessed with great, great friends!
Including here. Thank you all for your well wishes. A fellow can always use well wishes and good thoughts, and I appreciate that very much.
Oh, and Isaac Hayes shared the same birthday, too (30 years before me), so I remembered this Memphis music great by playing a CD of his.
So, yes: The day was great.
No clue where Muley was during all this...probably forgot it again...