January 25- Janie Carter Day

For someone who hates winter as much as my mother it just seems wrong that today is her birthday. Winter and the fact that it is just one month past Christmas makes January 25^th not an ideal day, but my Mom is certainly making the most of it. Last Thursday before the blizzard hit the east coast my Mom drove up to Washington, DC because why not go to one of her favorite places the day before the whole city is going to shut down with the most snow ever.

Now her favorite daughter, Janet, does live there as does her next favorite, Margaret, but Margaret had the good sense to leave DC for Miami, and that is why she is second favorite. Despite the travel ban my Mom said she has had a fun weekend going to a gallery and out to lunch before the snow hit the city and then playing bridge once everyone was trapped inside. Sounds like the perfect birthday weekend for my mother.

Today I am told that our friend Anne is having a lunch for her and the favorite daughter Janet is doing a dinner so perhaps my mother was right to run from the farm to the big city so she could be celebrated in style. She also left my father home alone to plow all the farm roads so by the time she will get home tomorrow everything at the farm will be perfect.

I found this picture of Carter and Mom in Washington DC in 2008 at her last big DC birthday party. Seems like her best birthdays have taken place in DC so to overcome the fact that it is so close to Christmas in the doldrums of late January, is cold and full of snow she is making the most of it.

I am just sorry that as second to the second most favorite daughters she is not here for us to celebrate her, but I guess that will have to wait until she visits in February. I can’t compete with galleries and fancy bridge parties. Instead we will go to lunch someplace good and then to the shoe repairman. Now that will be living big, but at 78 a good shoe repairman is practically like gold.

Happy birthday Janie Carter. Sorry your birthday is not during a beautiful month like May or September, the months you had your children. We appreciate you giving us good weather months to celebrate. Just know that all your daughters and your grand daughter love you.