Winter Sunrise in Oysterville

      I was awakened to the smell of coffee and a cheerful “Happy Birthday” song from the man I love – a perfect way to begin ‘my’ day.  There won’t be a celebration this year; it’s not ‘a zero’ or ‘a five.’  We decided quite awhile ago (when birthdays began arriving all too frequently) that we would only make a big deal out of those.  This birthday, ending in a six as it does, doesn’t really count.
      But, I must say, that since this year’s number is seventy-six, the theme from “The Music Man” is rattling around in my head – “Seventy-six trombones led the big parade…” and “Seventy-six trombones caught the morning sun…”  I’ve been humming along and feeling full of vim and vigor.
      It’s too early to tell if the sun will be shining here today.  Probably not, says my i-phone.  On the days we do have morning sun, it shines over the bay and we get a double-whammy effect from the reflections on the water.  It sets the tone for the entire day, even if the clouds blow in later and there are rain squalls or hail storms.  It’s spring, after all, and we get a little of everything.  Snow is the forecast for Thursday.
      That doesn’t surprise me as much as it should, because yesterday our twelve-year-old heat pump – the main source of warmth in this big old, air-leaky house – gave up the ghost.  It stands to reason that if we are to have no heat, it will be during the coldest part of the year.  Murphy’s Law.
      We will learn today what our options are.  This birthday may well be remembered as the one when I received a new heating system.  I think it will cost well beyond what we think of as an appropriate amount, even for a birthday ending with a five or zero.
      However, on the plus side – we have hot water!  In a problem unrelated to our heat pump, our hot water tank failed yesterday.  It happened, of course, in the middle of my morning shower!  We called Don, our trusty plumber friend, and he came right away and fixed the problem.  Would that we could have been so lucky with the heat pump!
      Knowing as I do, with the wisdom of many years tucked away in this gray head, that troubles come in threes, I’m waiting for the next dire event.  Meanwhile, I’m bundled up, hoping to catch some morning sun and happily marching to unseen trombones – keeping warm in Oysterville!  There are worse ways to spend birthdays…