As I get older, I don’t put two and two together as well as I did in the past. My birthday is coming up next week; I never realized the reason the Folks were coming over for lunch was due to that. It was, after all, just Friday that I realized I’ll be 36 in less than a week, and I brushed it off with a smile.

All of that to say that entering the period at which mid-life crises sometimes crop up has not caused any hiccups. I’m getting older; hopefully I can add “wiser.”

Fatter would be more likely, with cakes like this:

One candle for every six years

Poppy seed and apple cake — no flour.

Afterward, it was gift time, and knowing Nana and Papa, that means more shop equipment. This time, a table saw,

which almost broke my toe when a part slipped out while unpacking and landed on my poor, unprotected foot. Fortunately, K caught the moment.

I couldn’t wait to take it downstairs, of course, and that was a bit of a mistake. It was tough getting it into the basement. Maybe we could have just left it in the living room — modern art.

K bought me a couple of CDs, including Little Girl Blue, Nina Simone’s debut recording of 1957. Strong stuff: “I Loves You Porgy,” “Love Me or Leave Me,” opening with a great cover of Ellington’s “Mood Indigo.”

L gave me kisses and screams.

A good day over all.

K, L, Nana, Papa, thank you all.