[Dailydrool] Birthday thank you

[Riche Churchill]

BIRTHDAY THANK YOU
Firstly, deep apologies for taking so long to acknowledge and thank you all for the Big Surprise of making my 87th birthday an “affair to remember.”

When the first of several boxes of unknown contents arrived, I thought, gosh, how sweet, but how on earth did any of the senders know my birthday was imminent? One said, “Do not open till Sept. 7” so I virtuously did not open any until that day. (I do not have a reputation for being able to resist temptation, so I know you are proud of me.)
However, when the cards began arriving (along with a great deal of jealous muttering by the person who brings in my mail) I decided there was no such “waiting till the 7th” rule and ripped envelopes open. And ripped. A large batch on the 4th, larger on the 5th and overwhelming on 6th and 7th. In fact, they continued to arrive the following week.

I knew I had jokingly told only three people that Sept. 7th would be my 87th birthday, so the list of suspects was helpfully low. Questioning was met with denials, but after a bit of enhanced interrogation, I was able to extract a confession from the culprit. I later learned that a “goal” of 87 cards had been desired, but someone’s math skills are even worse than mine as way over 100 cards arrived. Almost all contained money; one envelope contained a crisp $100 bill; another held two well-worn dollar bills. Believe me when I say I appreciated the latter just as much, as I know from vast experience how hard it can sometimes be to give even that much.

In addition to cards, there also was a gorgeous bouquet, which has held up well and still on display. The boxes contained Basset-y T-shirts, socks and other Basset or dog-themed items… except one… a complete shocker. I opened it rather carelessly, assuming another item of clothing or a dog toy. The box had been extravagantly taped shut and when I sliced it open, the top flaps flew apart and a virtual fountain of tightly squished dollar bills joyously leapt out. On the table, on the floor… resulting in a mad dash to get to them before the dogs did. I won that race, thank goodness, as they love to tear and eat paper. I should have guessed, but did not know until I ironed each one flat* that there were exactly 87 of them. *(For future reference, assuming you HAVE an iron, place a towel on counter, set iron on Syn-Rayon and press bill for no more than 1-1/2 seconds. This will make them flat and crispy… almost “like new.”)

There was, however, one HUGE disappointment. I did not know a huge number of the card-senders or have any record of them, and I SO wish they would have included their email address. I would happily have added them to my mailing list (to which I send a newsletter and pdfs of old Bugler issues --- currently from 1982), and still would if any would be so kind as to send me that information. If you are not all that familiar with the Bugler, you can rest assured that I do not give out email addresses to anyone for any reason unless given permission.

So…. Thank you all, both naughty and nice, and especially Frans and Donna. It was the best birthday ever. Except maybe the one in 1931. Bwahahaha. Not that I remember IT, but I will never forget THIS one!!! Bless your little Basset-loving hearts.
Riche Churchill, older but no wiser
ninedogs04 at yahoo.com