I figured with the miracle of a digital camera I would share some of my fun with you.

The most sentimental is a card from Mom, well, the card isn't sentimental, its humorous from my "shishter shally" who knows of my flamingo interest (she sent me the flamingo lite string at Christmas, LOL!). 

(sorry, the focus is my fault, no flash taken inside) But the inside of the card has Mom's attempt at a signature.  With senile dementia, it is very difficult for her to concentrate on a task, much less to complete it the way she has been asked.  This signature came over the course of a full day with our wonderful caretaker prompting Mom all day long - I'm guessing, to simply sign it "Love Mom".  You'll see she managed the LO, but then was distracted by the last word of the card "long"

Next is the more warped humor of a friend at Merv's, my local hangout.  The punch line is "Bottoms up on your birthday"  the front is a little less subtle, LOL!  Thanks JohnT !

Not  birthday related, but today I did receive my firehouse dogtags with my official member number :

yes, etched into steel.  Should I become a crispy critter, they can still id me by my id that is snapped onto my running gear.

On a lighter (did I say lighter?) note, good friend tinat , helped make the calls to include friends Monday night (JohnT's card was signed by a dozen buds and accompianed by a balloon bouquet - "from all of us").

First was the gift she told someone she "could get away with".  Well, maybe.  LOL!  For me, a diehard FSU alum (and Miller Lite drinker), she gave a special edition bottle of Bud wrapped a special orange label for the University of Tennessee  (the bud is the anchor for the balloons and is still in the backseat of my car). 

The card was a custom made one of a spotty dog fire hydrant :

Also knowing my (well it used to be!) subtle use of the flamingo for my first home, she made a gave me this nightlight :

ya know, I KNEW there was a reason I made the choice two years ago to make a home away from the highway for myself.  Thanks to all my friends in Chatt as well as all of you here at Mindsay who put up with my bad jokes, opinionated rants, and rambling, but hey, I'm a rambling kindaguy.

Is it a coincidence that 28 years ago, here in Chattanooga, Merle Haggard became my number 1 country favorite?