Today is my birthday. I am closer to 50 now than I
am to 40. Getting old is a blast. I keep waiting to get
respect, but when you are as short as I am people
just assume you are young, no matter how many
wrinkles you have.

My grandma was at my birthday dinner last night and
we were discussing how many inches she has shrunk
since she was 46. She used to be 5'1" and is now about
4'10". At that rate I'll only be 4'5" when I am 96. Whoa!

That reminds me about a story I grew up with. My dad
always told it to me. It has to do with a man going on
a journey down into Arkansas. He meets with an old
man on a woodpile who is crying his eyes out because
his grandad is dead. The man on the woodpile is just a
pile of wrinkles and when the traveler goes into the
house he meets the dad, a pile of rags, and the grandad,
an oilspot on the floor. Anyway the oilspot gradad is
not really dead...he revives for another 100 years or
so. It is a funny story!

Someday I'll be that oilspot on the floor!

My dear mom made Rum Cake for my birthday. Yum!

Rum Cake

1 pkg yellow cake mix with pudding
(Or 1 pkg yellow cake mix and one box
vanilla pudding)
1/2 c oil
4 eggs
1 c cold water
1 TBS rum

Beat the above ingredients together

1/2 c chopped nuts

Place the nuts in the bottom of a greased tube pan.
Pour batter over nuts. Bake 45 minutes at 350 deg.
Pour hot sauce over cake as soon as it comes from
the oven. Cool. Loosen with knife and turn onto
cake plate.

Sauce

1 stick butter or oleo
1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp water
1 TBS rum

Boil all together for 1 minute