Will you still need me, will you still feed me - when I'm 64?

Today I am the big 64 and so far (I'm superstitious) I am really having a blessed, wonderful, friend-filled day.  I've received lots of fantastic presents and phone calls:   my spouse gave me a wonderful herbal book, Little Red sent me a great California landscaping book, my brother outside Philadelphia sent me a piece of McCoy pottery which had belonged to my grandmother, my sons are taking me to an Eritrean restaurant for dinner, and I just bought $100 worth of PLANTS for my backyard.  Two gardenias!!!!  Alicestreet suggested that I could now grow them in my enclosed hot tub area.  Yahoo.  Gardenias are one of my favorites.

 

And my younger son is installing the first of 3 gates which can be seen in the first photo above.  This gorgeous gate is the "utility" gate and so won't even be seen much, but I think it is beautiful, so I wanted to share it.  The other gate will be installed within a Japanese-type pavilion which he built over the rear entry where I will be getting out of the car to bring in groceries, etc. (2nd photo)    I feel so grateful.  For 35 years we have lived in this old place, and we are finally able to fix it up.  My husband and son have pretty much done all the work.  (I had a yardworker helping me too).  I did some of the work, but mostly had to keep the household going during construction and messes and did quite a bit of the plantings. 

 

When I wrote about Staycations, I wasn't kidding:  we are most likely going to be sticking close to home this summer for lots of different reasons - not just gas, but because now we really need to economize after all this construction.  But I am loving everything and feeling very grateful for my new kitchen, bathroom and backyard!   There's nothing like having a kitchen from 1948 and a bath of the same vintage, to make me feel grateful when they were rebuilt.  Thank you Mindsay friends, for all your caring and concern during the time I have been on here.  This is my 123rd posting and it is the 23rd - and my birthday - which is auspicious to me!