BS: Of bonfires and birthdays

Subject: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: ranger1
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 09:15 PM

Sunday was my 35th birthday and I celebrated by driving up the coast to Lincolnville and helping some college friends clear their new house site. Ed and Naomi made me a cake, and we had a bonfire instead of candles. It was a perfect day for a burn, about 3 inches of new snow, warmish temperatures, and a light rain that began to fall as we were winding down, putting out the fire for us. I can't think of a better day to celebrate the anniversary of my existence than by spending it helping out good friends.

Anybody else out there have a birthday anecdote to share?

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: CarolC
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 09:32 PM

Nope. But happy 35th birthday to you, ranger1

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: ranger1
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 09:40 PM

Thanks!

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: GUEST,freda underhill
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 09:43 PM

when i turned 30, I found to my annoyance that my friend Santhia had set me up on a date with a friend called Enrico. Enrico, while handsome and suave, was not my cup of tea. Just as he was about to arrive at my home, I said to Santhia, I really don't want to do this. Why don't YOU go. She, rather nervously, disagreed, and i, rather impatiently, started arguing. We were both yelling at each other when the doorbell rang, it was Enrico, standing at the door with a bunch of flowers. She pushed me out the door and closed it behind me.

Hopping into Enrico's little red sports car, he told me that before we hit the restaurant, he had to pick up his jacket, which he had left at his home.

Not the jacket routine I thought, outraged, that he was playing this one even BEFORE dinner. So when we got to his house, he said, why don't you come in for a minute, while I get my jacket. That's okay, I said firmly, I can wait here. He said, look, I'll be a few minutes, I don't want to leave you waiting outside, please come in. Feeling contrary (just for a change!) I said, oh, thats okay, thanks enrico, I can wait out here.

I thought Enrico was looking a little flustered, as he came round to my side of the car, opened the door, took me by the arm, and started physically leading me onto the footpath and up to the steps of his house. No lights were on, it looked suspiciously dark and murky to me. I was just about to bop him one when he opened the door and about 40 people yelled surprise and happy birthday!!

and inside was a beautiful birthday caked, baked and iced by Santhia, with a picture of a dancing koala bear wearing a tutu on it. we had a wonderful night, and when Enrico drove me home, I gave him a kiss on the cheek and said thank you!

freda

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 10:17 PM

We had a huge bonfire on my 50th birthday. Well... sorta. The bonfire was huge and it was my birthday, but since my birthday just happens to be on December 31 it was, in fact, a New Years Eve party and only a couple of people new it was my birthday. But, hey, the bonfire story's still cool.

WARNING! DO NOT TRY THIS UNLESS YOU LIVE IN THE COUNTRY AND HAVE ACRES OF CLEARED LAND!

Our friend Blake's dad and several of his friends go into town three or four days after Christmas and collect Christmas trees that have already been discarded. They don't collect seven or eight of them. They collect hundreds! Then, on New Years Eve night, they burn them. Doesn't sound too exciting, does it? Well, do you have any idea how intensely dried out Scotch Pines burn? Get the fire going good and toss a couple of those babies on there and flames will shoot fifty feet or more into the air. They don't just burn, they explode. On the night we were there, the wind was blowing about 20 MPH so the sparks were being blown hundreds of feet downwind as well. It was pretty awesome.

Bruce

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Peace
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 10:25 PM

Ranger1, I had no idea it was your birthday. Hope it was a great one--which it certainly sounds like. Happy Birthday to you from Alberta. Bruce M

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: open mike
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 10:29 PM

on my 40th a bunch of friends met for dinner at an arabian restaruant
and we were entertained by a troupe of belly dancers!! Happy birfday,
ranger! Where is lincolnville?

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Amergin
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 10:31 PM

on my 27th birthday i watched the news that morning as two passenger planes destroyed the WTC.

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Amos
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 10:50 PM

Yeah, Nathan, those buggers cost me a birthday, too -- mine was the next morning, and no-one felt like even remembering.

Which, on reflection, is understandable! LOL!!!

Happy boifday, Ranger!


A

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Amergin
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 11:37 PM

Well....look at it this way, Amos we had a huge bonfire that year...

Actually truth be told I didn't really feel like celebrating either...nor the next year,,,well until a lovely woman made a birthday web page just for me...to show how much she cared.

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Little Robyn
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 12:48 AM

My birthday is on Guy Fawke's day. There's always a bonfire - and fireworks too!

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 01:21 AM

Mine's coming up, close to our second anniversary of being in our very own house. Part of my celebration will be to hang another row of prayer flags on the weeping willow tree out back. We hung the first batch when we moved in and have done one more for each anniversary.

I might have a small fire and do some prayer pouches to offer up, too. Haven't done that in a long time and would enjoy a good fire....being an Aries and all.:-)

happy Birthday, ranger!

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: dianavan
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 01:25 AM

My birthday is May Eve. I've always considered the Beltaine fires mine.

d

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Micca
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 08:45 AM

For my 40th a group of friends organised a dinner party 4 couples, and each brought one course and its accompanying wine!!!
The menu was
Home-made pate with a very fine Oloroso
Game pie with several bottles of Gevry Chambertin burgundy
Fruit salad with Marsala
and a Good Cheese Board with some Vintage Port

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Mooh
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 08:53 AM

Today is my eldest's 17th birthday, and she's in Paris France on a student trip. Cool kid doing a cool thing which I could not have even imagined at that age. From our little corner of Canada, it's an amazing thing. She has to miss her volunteer job at the coffeehouse folk venue this month...oh the sacrifices of youth! I'm sure she'll return with her own anecdote.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Jeanie
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 09:03 AM

I was 50 last year, and my daughter somehow managed to squeeze 50 candles onto a small cake - by the time she had finished lighting the last one, the first ones had burned down to melt the plastic holders and by the time she had called me into the kitchen for the surprise, it had all turned into one big flame. So, yes, I had a bonfire too, and it was a lovely, if somewhat dangerous, surprise.

- jeanie

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 09:20 AM

When I was a kid, I thought that it was mighty thoughtful of people to put up flags on my birthday. I was born on June 14th (flag day) over here. I always felt a kinship with George M. Cohan, who was born on the 4th of July.

My group did a noon concert on Sept. 11, just a few minutes after the second tower went down. Talk about hard.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Leadfingers
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 09:26 AM

Some of you know this story already but it fits this thread perfectly so What The Hell !

My sixtieth coincided with a Folk Club Night , and the sods organised a surprise party . I arrived at the club to find sixty odd (and some of 'em were very Odd) and a video camera pointed at me , along with my old Mate Dis Disley as a surprise guest. What a cracking way to realise how old you are getting !!

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: Cats
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 01:24 PM

I had a 50th birthday last year and went to Sark. So many people complained that I didn't have a big bash that I had a little one at every festival I went to, each with a different theme. We started with Jelly and ice cream on the banks of the Thames - well, I'd actually had three before that - and ended up with coffee and mints in the green room at the Baring Gould Festival in October, via port and stilton, beach BBQ's, Tapas and aperitif's.....   14 parties in all. And for those who missed out......

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 05:45 PM

I don't have any exciting stories, but whenever I have a birthday ending in zero or 5, I try to have a nice dinner party with live music. It's good to give musicians gigs.

Yes, and ever since I got a miserable cold after my little niece and nephew blew out the birthday candles, I have made a rule that candles must be snuffed, not blown out.

Subject: RE: BS: Of bonfires and birthdays
From: ranger1
Date: 25 Mar 04 - 06:16 PM

Thanks for all the great birthday stories. My favorite birthday memory is my 20th. First year at college, couldn't spend it with family, and no one remembered it was my birthday. I was feeling pretty down, until I walked into my dorm room two days after my birthday. Someone had broken into my room and left a cake, a card and a red balloon, then left and locked the door behind them. Never did find out who it was, and never tried to hard, either. Some things are best left as mysteries.