Jim and his lapdog Rafael, Rafie in need of a bit of love, November 2008, photo © 2008 by ybonesy. All rights reserved.
Jim is a Solstice baby. As a kid he resented that his birthday fell so close to Christmas. He still tells stories about how everyone gave him “combined” gifts. “Here’s your birthday and Christmas combined.”
We try to make a big deal out of his birthday. Separate gifts always, and not just a t-shirt. Definitely a birthday cake, homemade, with frosting and candles.
Jim’s birthday has passed and, yes, we’re on to Christmas, but before his carrot cake is just a few smudges of butternut frosting on the cake dish, I wanted to say a few things about him:
- See the photo of Jim and his lapdog Rafael? Well, Jim is something of an animal whisperer. Critters of all types love him. And the reason is that Jim lets creatures be themselves. He’s part animal himself, in a good way. He speaks to them through some special language. So when 75-pound Rafie sidles up to Jim on the overstuffed chair, Jim knows immediately that Rafie just needs to get on Jim’s lap and fall fast asleep. The way Sony gets to do on my lap.
- Jim loves the cold and winter. Right now he’s outside, has been all day, getting the corral ready to bring our horse over for the start of the new year. Jim works like a horse himself, and in the cool and cold months, he’s always outdoors. I used to think it was Jim’s Scandanavian blood (his grandparents were Swedes) that made him so comfortable in the cold, but I’ve come to realize, Duh, he’s a child of the Solstice. Winter doesn’t bother him one bit.
- Jim sometimes forgets to take off his fleece cap when he comes inside. Sometimes it’s not until he’s about to get into bed that he realizes he still has it on. Jim’s not the kind of guy to look at himself in the mirror, even when he’s brushing his teeth. Once I gave him an old-fashioned shaver and shaving brush for Christmas; guess what I added to my sister’s flea market goods a few years later? I like that he doesn’t have a vain bone in his body.
- Jim’s hair is longer than mine. He always said he wanted long hair, but since his hair is also wavy, he’d hit that awkward Bozo-the-Clown look and I’d beg him to cut it. Finally, he just did it. We both survived the “I am a ragamuffin” stage, and now he has lovely long hair that he pulls back into a pony tail, unless it’s right after a shower and he wants to make us all laugh (in which case he wears it loose, like Jesus).
- Jim doesn’t much care to get old. He came from the generation that mistrusted anyone over 30, and now being over 50, well, Jim doesn’t like to make a fuss over yet another birthday. But I have to say, and this isn’t my bias speaking, he’s aging well. About a dozen years ago we went to his 20th high school reunion. We took our newborn baby in a sling (she slept the entire event) and one guy asked if that was Jim’s grandchild in the sling. Apparently, most of Jim’s peers had their kids ages before and were already grandparents. I whispered to Jim that he definitely wasn’t old enough to be a grandfather. Yet.
- I can’t quite figure out if Jim is Sagittarius or Capricorn. His birth date is on the cusp, and he’s not the kind of guy who’d ever get his astrological chart done, so my only cues are the ones I find in astrology publications. I’ve always considered him to be a Sag, probably because they say that Sag and Gemini (me) are compatible. Which we are. But there are some aspects of Sagittarius that don’t fit Jim, such as being an optimist. Jim can be a “glass half empty” sort of fellow, which is something I’ve often thought had to do with the dark side of being a Solstice baby. Yet, he’s definitely adventurous, honest, outspoken, and independent—all qualities associated with Sagittarians. Then again, he’s got the Capricorn characteristics of being tenacious, resourceful, wise, and constant.
- Mostly Jim is kind-hearted, loyal, a good father and good steward of the earth, and the one I love.
yb, I hope to be the first to comment. Happy Belated Birthday, Jim! He is quite the hottie! Way to pick them,yb.
Our yellow lab is forbidden from sitting on our furniture, let alone our laps. However, we give her daily brain massages which all dogs love!
Being a fellow Gemini, I think it does take that special extra person to put up with us, yb! J is a Pisces & I don’t know the compatability, however it’s been the best combination so far. D
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Great introduction to Jim. I can see why he is the rock in your world. Your description of his straightforward attitude towards the world could be the Capricorn you see in him (my daughter and I are both Capricorns).
Thanks for giving us a peek at the man beside yb.
Tell him I hope his solstice celebration with the solstice cake and candles was a memorable one.
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From one true Sag to another one “possibly” (also over 50)
HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS
That’s one hellava lap dog!
😉 H
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This is such a lovely post. Sounds like you got you a good man, ybonesy. And, if I may say so, without sounding like some menopausal cheerleader, he’s cute.
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Jim looks and sounds like an absolute gem, and a keeper.I love his level gaze in the photo with the oversized lap-dog. So happy you have each other and so appreciate one another. Happy Birthday, Jim! G
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ybonesy, wonderful post about Jim. Some great photos, too. I had the pleasure of meeting him when I visited with you a while ago now, and what a nice guy. Calm and grounded. I love his outdoorsyness, too. And the beautiful way he talks to the hummingbirds. Oh, and I forgot, he rides motorcycles, a thing close to my heart. You have quite the catch!
Maybe someday you can have a compatibility chart done for the two of you. They won’t tell you anything you don’t already know. It’s just fun to see how accurate they can be. It would also be interesting to find out what sign he actually is. Was he born in New Mexico? All you need for charts is the city, state, time of birth. Some people are never able to find out what time they were born, I have found. It’s a good detail to know for astrology.
Happy Solstice Birthday, Jim! BTW, you’ve got quite a catch in ybonesy, too!
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Thanks for the birthday wishes, all.
Heather, you’re so Gemini-like!? I didn’t realize you were a Sag. (Ha!)
QM, Jim’s parents grew up mostly in Albuquerque (I think knew each other in high school and college), married, and then went to Washington, DC, where Jim’s Dad was in law school. That’s where Jim was born, in the apartment because they got snowed in such that they couldn’t get out and an ambulance couldn’t come in. So I am sure I can find out exactly what time he was born, as I’ve heard the very vivid story of his birth several times.
diddy, our dogs aren’t allowed on the furniture, either, but sitting on a person’s lap who’s sitting on the furniture is allowed. 8)
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Thanks Corina, Bob, R3, lirone. And Happy Solstice to all of you. It’s been a mixed blessing here with Chaco being so sick. We picked him up from the vet’s yesterday but left the catheter in his little arm. We are taking him back for more fluids today, then probably bringing him home for the rest of the Holidays. I think we might be learning how to give subcutaneous fluids and a few other meds. It was a restless night last night but it’s good to have him home for a bit. More as I know it.
R3, it does feel like the first days of winter. We got hit hard this year! I remember last year, we hardly had any snow yet at this time. It was so strange. We had more snow last night and I still haven’t had a chance to shovel the last foot we got. I guess I’ll get to it sometime this weekend. Liz shoveled a little on Solstice and we are now parking at the bottom of the driveway. The good news, temps are up to 12 degrees today after being -12 when we dropped Chaco off yesterday. I think it’s heading up into the 20’s!
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p.s., Happy belated birthday, Heather, and happy upcoming birthday R3.
diddy, still chuckling over your comment about how it takes someone special to put up with us Geminis. 8)
Jim ate four pieces of carrot cake yesterday. I didn’t mention in the post that he is allergic to wheat and gluten. I need to do a whole post about the challenges of living with a celiac in terms of cooking food or eating out. There are a lot of good recipes and blogs and websites out there for celiacs (gluten-free cooking and living) and so we’ve actually managed to adjust pretty well. And, back to the carrot cake, it was/is as good as any wheat-based recipe for carrot cake, which was amazing to find out. Often, for my taste buds, the gluten-free cakes are not super-tasty. Guess practice starts to make perfect.
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yb, a true Sag is happy-go-lucky and cannot concentrate very long on anything. We wander around a great deal ; The animal thing is very true. I came in on friday the 13th so that may explain a bit of difference…
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM!!! I hope you had a wonderful day. I do have to say that I like your hair long. It was a pleasant surprise to see it so long when last I saw you and Ybonsey. Both of you are at the best age ever, so far.
PS – Mis Christmas mis amigos!!! Love you both – La Neice
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Ha, Heather! That means you and one of my sisters shares the same birthday. Two of my siblings are Sags.
Hey, Neecy, guess who’s card I just opened today?! It’s beautiful. Mis Christmas!!! Are you staying in town for the holly-days? Hope to see you over the break. xxoo
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Just wanted to stop by and say “Happiest of Holidays!” (whichever one you celebrate! :-)…) to Everyone at the Red Ravine! May you and your families all be blessed with overflowing joy, peace and hope this coming year!
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Grace, Happy Holidays to you as well. May your New Year be filled with much Joy.
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[…] think Jim did a pretty good job of fashioning his mii after himself. See if you can figure out which one he is in the screen shot […]
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Jim is one of my favorite people. Happy Birthday Jim…a few day late!
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day = days
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Happy Birthday to Jim!
I took the afternoon off, and we went and got a couples massage at Betty’s Bath & Day Spa [LINK]. Free hot tub came with the massage, so we soaked first.
Tonight I’m making Jim’s favorite: red chile enchiladas. And a gluten-free banana bread loaf.
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Also, Happy belated Birthday to Heather. Happy birthday to R3 and R3’s daughter (belated, right?, since we’re entering the season of Capricorns).
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Rome – I read this again. It made me laugh and it brought a little tear to my eye, again. Once again, happy birthday Jim you’re such a hippie, which is groovy. Peace man. N
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Thanks, Neece. Jim enjoyed hearing the birthday wishes on Facebook. “Tell ’em thanks,” he said.
He is a hippie at heart. My latest joke, since I have super short hair and he has a pony tail, is that we like to freak people out by turning around and showing them that I’m the girl and he’s the boy. 8)
We put a candle on his gluten-free banana nut bread and sang Happy Birthday. I think it was a good one.
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ybonesy, did Jim have a good Winter Solstice birthday? I was thinking about him. Did you stay up and watch the Moon rise? I also think of my grandmother on December 21st. She was a Solstice baby, too. Auspicious time to be born.
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Hi QM. Jim had a quiet, lovely birthday, which is exactly how he likes to celebrate it. I cooked a meal for him and dessert, which he also loves when I do that. And then we went over to a friends for a while.
It’s a cool time of year, and this year was even more special with the lunar eclipse. We did attempt to see it but we were foiled by clouds that obscured the eclipse about 1/3 of the way through. But we saw a bit and enjoyed what we saw.
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