Birthday Party

I had a cake made for my birthday, and told the very young man at the bakery that I wanted written on it:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY METHUSELAH

He seemed puzzled. Then he asked: Is Methuselah a boy's name or a girl's name?

I guess he wanted to know whether the writing should be in pink or blue.


Successful party. Because of snow & other reasons, a number of guests canceled--7 in all.

But we had he LeMays (2), the Woodses (4), Sally, Kathy, Katherine, the hosts (2), Miriam, Bette, Charlie, Duffy, Marylou, Annie and Jim--18 in all. That was just the right number! 25 would have been too many.

What do you need to have a successful party? Talkative, outgoing people. Good food and drink and lots of it.

Suzanne wrote me a dandy poem:

Once upon a market dreary
While my stocks sat weak and weary
Came a rapping, rapping at my chamber door

Ah distinctly I remember
All my profits turned to embers
My 401K now lost and gone for sure

Came a voice said, “nevermore.”

Wait, what is this voice that’s calling
Could it be my dear friend Warren?
Tapping, tapping at my chamber door?

Deep into that darkness peering
Long I stood there, wondering, fearing
Til he emerged with CDs galore

Verdi, Mozart and Puccini
To me it all sounds like linguini
But to his students his popularity has soared

No more reading the market’s ills
Now he talks of Tosca and Seville
And all the singers he adores.

An opera teacher evermore!