Another trip around the sun

I FIRST HEARD that phrase in the title of a song from Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride.  It didn't do much on the charts, but I always found myself looking for it every July.

I like the day to pass quietly and without fanfare.  Most folks do, I suppose.  I do look forward to phone calls every year from my grandparents though.  This year did not fail me.

I was a step away from getting in the shower when the phone rang this morning at 7:30.

"Happy birthday, boy."

"Thanks, Grandma, and good morning to you!"

"Tank's still in the bed and I didn't want to wake him up.  He needs his rest, you know."

"Oh, yes, ma'am.  I know."

Then there was the call from my parents.  Mama and Daddy did not start by singing "Happy Birthday."  Instead, they began with a verse of "You are my sunshine," and then started into the traditional song.  I love that.

Here's to another trip around the sun.

It's amazing what you can hear when you learn to listen.  It took me a long time to learn to do that.  I still need practice at it.

Here are a few quotes overheard at a neighborhood bar in Waco, Texas last weekend.

"Bush's chicken is way too bland for me. I grew up cooking on an iron stove."

"He ended up limping for the rest of the time I knew him."

"I used to drink this beer when I was in the Air Force, but that was the 70's."

"Waylon Jennings sounds like Sturgill Simpson. Were they related?"

"I'm going to Garth Brooks. I said I'd call when I get home. But I'll probably go out later." (ironically, Garth played a show in Louisiana and NOT Waco at the time this quote was made.)

"I've always got a headache. Probably because my mama smokes meth."

"Is the red light on? Make sure it's on. The old man gets mad when it's not on."

"I tried to put $8 worth of quarters in there. What the hell is playing right now?"

"Is that whip cream!? No! It's butter cream! This day got so much better. (Referring to a cake dropped off)"

"I've had 3 children in 2 years and I look better than that whore."

"Otherwise, my sister is a good person. A felon? Yes. But still."

"You missed it earlier. Nicole was here. She cried in my beer. It hurt. It took me half an hour to get that shit loose."

"I look like one of those wrestlers. Like nope. She kept pulling on my braids."