This old gal…

Was once told she had a twin…a doppelgänger….who worked at a bike shop downtown…

Had to check it out of course…just saunter in…pretend to browse the bikes…get a glimpse or two perhaps…of this mystery woman…

But the store was small…empty…no way to be inconspicuous…and soon came face to face…with look-a-like me…younger…taller…a more flattering version…to be sure…

And so it is…today…we celebrate twins…and birthdays…birthday twins…that brother from a different mother…

Went to high school together…played in the band together…played the same instrument in fact…

And years later…like years and years later…we…have become friends…good friends…thanks…to the Ramblings…of an old gal…

Husband…dad…grandpa…clever…witty…wise…a valued reader and cheerleader…of a girl…with a writing dream…

So happy birthday…Birthday Twin…thanks for being a faithful follower…and an even better…friend…
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And Birthday Me…agrees…

This husband and I…

Went to this week’s flashback film…he begrudgingly…this genre not his thing…but hey…it’s birthday week…so there was no debate…

The Princess Bride…iconic…clever…one of a kind…that and Men In Tights…longtime favorites…of those daughters of mine…

Three little girls…camped in front of the TV…nestled on the Barbie sleeping bag…enamored by Princess Buttercup….

Which is why…mama me…had to go…those sweet daughters of hers…a million miles away…but in the theater…sitting right there…

Laughing at those lines we repeated so often…as you wish…inconceivable…my name is Inigo Montoya…you killed my father…prepare to die…

And so it is…we celebrate our people…that inner circle…that gets you…loves you…always has your back…

Even if you’re wearing black…thinks you’re funny…even when it’s sunny…stop rhyming and I mean it…
Anybody…got a peanut…

Little girl memories…can’t ask for a gift…more precious than that…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

That estate sale…

Was a collector’s dream…the home full of beautiful things…all things that husband of mine admires…

Fossils…rocks…Native American artifacts…feathers…antlers…Kokopellis of all kind…it was this man’s…doodad fantasy…

And then…what to my wondering eyes should there be…nestled behind a rock…on a shelf…in the office…a vase…a tiny vase…a tiny…swung glass vase…

Twas an awkward thing…cloudy…leaned to the left…a big chip out of the base…walked off…and let it stay…

But something niggled as we ambled…that vintage vase…tiny little misfit that it was…alone…hiding amidst the grandeur of the southwestern decor…

Was special…in spite of its quirks…and deserved love…in spite of its flaws…and so..for the grand old price of 1.00…it came home…with that pair of boots…

And so it is…today…we celebrate that which makes us unique…no one is exactly like you…and you…are exactly…like no one…

And that’s…what makes you beautiful…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

Today…this old gal celebrates…

The gift of eavesdropping…have mastered it well…utilize it often…

If not for this…there would have been no knowledge of the estate sale…the tiny sized boot sale…at which…that husband of mine…found…his dream boots…

Not a small feat…no pun intended…the search beginning four years ago…when those daughters of mine offered to buy him boots for his Christmas gift…

Nice boots…expensive boots…the boots he wants…but no…couldn’t find any…too big…too stiff…not the right color…not gonna pay that…even tho he’s not the one…paying that…

And so we celebrate…that stroke of luck…the stars aligning…being in the right place…at the right time…

We celebrate the hands of the universe…guiding…prodding…even going as far as almost shout talking…so that we can find ourselves…where we…are meant to be…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This husband and I…

Went to an estate sale…heard about it at an antique shop…said they had boots…cowboy boots…in a size…eight and a half…

That small footed man of mine…has been searching for boots that size…used boots…broken in boots…

The estate was beautiful…in a cool neighborhood…the collections unique…southwestern…Native American…

The owner of the boots had recently passed…the day before his birthday they said…he almost made it…came the sweet sentiment…from those he loved…

And so it is…we kick off birthday week…for an aging old gal…only four more days…being this young…

Made a vow…after that sale…gonna celebrate this birthday of mine…today…and every day after…

Celebrate life…love…family and friends…kitties and llamas…Milk Duds and coffee…antique shops…thrift stores…estates sales with boots…

Gonna celebrate…like there’s no tomorrow…because…well…where’s the fun in…she almost made it…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Decided to try something new…or more like…add…something new…

So many of these writers…bloggers…etcetera etcetera…with like hundreds of thousands of followers…say they also are posting…to Substack…

Substack…a site…also an app…is for writers…newsletters…blogs…but what’s nice about it…if you subscribe…the blog…comes to your email…

Subscription is free…

So if Facebook isn’t your thing any more…or if the algorithm is off…or you just want to make sure not to miss a delightful Ramblings…

Click on the link in my bio…OR…message me your email and I can enter it for you…OR…find Retirement Ramblings on Substack and hit subscribe…

Again…it’s free…always will be free…

Retirement Ramblings will continue to be on Facebook…Instagram…retirementramblingsblog.com…and now…Substack…

Just trying to find ways…new ways…perhaps easier ways…to keep in touch…
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And that aunt of mine…who is my only subscriber on Substack…most likely…agrees…

This old gal…

Has a love for the hot dog…not just any dog…but the chili dog…and not just any chili dog…but the Busch Stadium chili dog…from the 1970s…

That family of mine…St.Louis Cardinal fans…obsessed-never-miss-a-game fans…cheering on the players…like they knew them personally…

That grandmother of mine…more than once…hosting a trip to see them play…a room at the Adam’s Mark…a three game series…a chili dog for a young girl along for the ride…

And that ride…that three day trip…was always…surprisingly…uneventful…but in a good way…

Filled with laughter…excitement…the Arch and the zoo…lemon drops and licorice…and calm…unexpected…calm…

Always had a saying…there wasn’t anything so good…that that mother of mine couldn’t ruin…with anger…a meltdown…the silent treatment…

But something about those trips…that stadium…those lights…Keith Hernandez on first base…regardless of the outcome…no matter the score…

To that little girl…along for the ride…those Cardinals…and those chili dogs…will always be…winners…
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And that grandmother of mine…would agree…

This old gal…

Has a love for the hot dog…not just any dog…but the chili dog…and not just any chili dog…but the Busch Stadium chili dog…from the 1970s…

That family of mine…St.Louis Cardinal fans…obsessed-never-miss-a-game fans…cheering on the players…like they knew them personally…

That grandmother of mine…more than once…hosting a trip to see them play…a room at the Adam’s Mark…a three game series…a chili dog for a young girl along for the ride…

And that ride…that three day trip…was always…surprisingly…uneventful…but in a good way…
Filled with laughter…excitement…the Arch and the zoo…lemon drops and licorice…and calm…unexpected…calm…

Always had a saying…there wasn’t anything so good…that that mother of mine couldn’t ruin…with anger…a meltdown…the silent treatment…

But something about those trips…that stadium…those lights…Keith Hernandez on first base…regardless of the outcome…no matter the score…

To that little girl…along for the ride…those Cardinals…and those chili dogs…will always be…winners…
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And that grandmother of mine…would agree…

This husband and I…

Find ourselves living in the past…complaining about things…not being like they used to be…

Pringles…Velveeta…Oreos…not like they used to be…the steroid filled chicken leg…not like it used to be…the Salisbury steak tv dinner…really not…like it used to be…

But the one that got us…hit the hardest…was the hot dog…the tried and true Oscar Mayer wiener…

Googled best hot dogs…bought the top five…did a taste test…nix nada nil…gave up on it…until the discovery at the farmers market…which made our tastebuds happy…

And so it is…in life…things change…sometimes for the better and other times…not so much…

Don’t give up the search for your heart’s desire…it’s there…have faith…take it from an old gal…the wait…is worth it…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Saw the Farmer’s Market…through different eyes…educated eyes…MasterClass eyes…those gut health intentional eating classes…creating awareness…that wasn’t there before…

What makes an organic farm…an organic farm…the impact of probiotics…the benefits of microgreens…the nutrition in mushrooms…

Walked the market…enjoying the sunshine…perusing the products…making our way…to the reason we were there…

Our favorite vendor…at the end of a row…serving up lunch…like there’s no tomorrow…where health aware me…throws caution to the wind…

For the dog…the hot dog…the best dog she’s had…since Busch Stadium in the 1970s…bringing back days of baseball…Cardinal games…fun in St.Louis…

And so it is…knowledge may be power…but a good dog…a memory evoking heartwarming wienie in a bun…is literally…to die for…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…