IrishOboe

. . . the dog was oddly suspended in the air, in the arms of Sarah S.  In fact, the room was full of people and I suddenly saw stars.  Okay, so it was just camera flashes, but I certainly was struck dumb.  This was to be no intimate dinner affair, but a surprised birthday party!  I was completely taken by surprise and I think was in shock for a good deal of the party.  I just sat on the couch while everyone scurried around making preparations.  The meal of grilled meat and salad was one of the best ones I’ve had in a while (church folks make some mean salads) and there was plenty of tasty dessert to go around.

We enjoyed each other’s company and I received chocolate, a happy birthday balloon and confetti (though not inside the balloon – this area gets enough confetti around Fasnacht time), and from my dear Stephan I got a beautifully wrapped “concert package” that came complete with a beautiful green-reddish Moroccan scarf (as the dress for Schola concerts is often black with a splash of color), a bottle of wine for celebration afterwards, and the Ford GT of music stands: fold-up, solid, black, and light as a feather.  I was pretty thrilled with this perfect extravagant/practical gift.

We partied late into the evening and I dropped into bed exhausted and happy.