His Royal Dad-Ness

Somebody is having a birthday this week. It is actually tomorrow, but we expected Wednesday to be the night before school began, so we scheduled the party for Monday, the usual family dinner night. School opening has since been put until next week, so I was told we could also now go out for ice cream on Wednesday.

Gifts were brought to my chair, and photos ensued.

Gifts were mostly booze. I shall attempt to explain that oddity below.

I was also gifted masks featuring my favourite hockey team. Yup, Canadian, eh? It seems as though you can't have too many these days.

Shauna made lasagna. It was scrumptious.

Instead of cake we had apple pie, a long time fave of mine. As I ate my piece, I remembered eating apple pie at my grandmother's house, almost seventy years ago. It was good then, and this pie was yummy.

Now . . . about the booze. Might it appear as though I am a big boozer?

Actually, the opposite is true. I haven't consumed much booze in my entire seventy-three years. I have had the occasional beer and can appreciate the taste only under certain conditions, such as with pizza, but I am not really a fan and haven't consumed any for, perhaps, a year. I don't mind wine and have it a few times a week, but I could easily live without it. A box can last me a long time, even with Shauna having bountiful glasses at our Monday dinners. Now I have the opportunity try liquors of various kinds.

While I have had a bit of rye and rum in my lifetime -- a very little bit -- I haven't had gin, vodka, scotch or moonshine, but they were in the gift box as was spiced rum. You may have noticed that none of the bottles are large, but there is a variety.

When I was asked what I wanted for my birthday, I was stumped, as was the whole family. Then, this possibility came to mind. I am fairly certain that alcohol will continue to mean very little to me, but I now have a chance to experience a little more in these my later years.

I also came rather late to coffee and largely began to drink it for social reasons, which is also a small consideration with regards to alcohol. Not that I hang around with heavy drinkers, but I can perhaps be a bit more knowledgeable and confident should the occasion arise.