I suppose because I still have a mom I let myself feel like a kid. And by the way, to act like a kid sometimes, too.
Mom’s 100th birthday was yesterday.
For weeks I was busy planning the party, largely from the standpoint of kids. I know. It was a party for a hundred-year-old, not for kids.
But I so enjoy the antics of my two young grandchildren that I planned much of the party with them in mind.
My two sisters arranged some songs and games while I put together a 14-minute video.
The Video Presentation
Each family group and individual emailed me a video clip of themselves wishing Great-Grandma Sue happy birthday.
I added photos, movies and video clips of my mom and her three children. Beginning in 1938, Dad took 16mm movies. I turned them into video files.
Toward the end of my video presentation, I added personal birthday video greetings from nine famous individuals. How? I combined two apps so that characters talk using their own voices.
And the host of the party? It was Peppa Pig, British accent and all. At one point, I planned to be watching the four grandkids closely, because Peppa Pig mentions their names.
The Color Scheme
Just before our handy lady painted the patio in the backyard reddish brown, I had fun stuffing foam cord into the cracks left by our most recent California earthquakes. Without that foam filler material, I think the concrete repair material would sink all the way down to China! The color of the patio goes with the maroon design on our awning. On the gold plastic tablecloths will sit the amazing and colorful folding vases. They will hold flowers that are blue, purple, and pink. When I tested the vases, they not only held one quart of water, but also looked marvelous. They fold so flat that all five vases, one atop the other, take up less than 2mm of space. Ingenious!
The Food
Mom loves roast beef. So deli was the main fare. Of course, the roast beef, corned beef, turkey, and pastrami were accompanied by potato salad, cole slaw and pickles.
I made sure to include cans of Mug Root Beer among the bottles of soda. The cake was a quarter-sheet with lots of edible flowers, so that the very small and very big adult kids could eat a flower if they wished.
What a wonderful day it was. What a wonderful mom my sisters and I have.
Do you sometimes give yourself permission to be a kid?
Yes, having a mom helps.
If you don’t mind others thinking how silly you are, you can really enjoy that atavistic experience.
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertzebsen51@gmail.com