Birthday?

My balloon.
And yes, that's an M&M character in a recliner on my fireplace mantle behind me. Don't act surprised.

So, last weekend my house got hit by a car. The week was, generally speaking, about as fun as you'd imagine. Calls to insurance companies, visits from adjusters, and so on.

We have a lot to be thankful for and we know it. Even so, it's easy to let the situation get us down. There's a lot to do and we have to move slowly until Insurance gets everything squared away.

And then I went out into the backyard and found a birthday balloon. A deflated, puny, faded-lime-green balloon that says "Happy Birthday" on it. On a string.

Even in difficult times, there can be small gifts to bring us great joy.

Either that, or somebody's trying to speed up my birthday cycle so I'll die faster.