birthdays and cakes and wind

Yesterday our daughter turned 22. I know everyone says, "When did that happen?", but truly I believe the expression that the days go slowly and the years go quickly. Sometimes the hours go slowly!! She's just finished up her fourth year of university and is home to live with us for the summer and to work a summer job.

We had a little family gathering with her requested supper of "Greek food". That means chicken breast done up with Greek seasoning (often on the barbecue, but not this time), a big Greek salad, basmati rice, tzatziki  sauce, and Naan bread (yes, I know that's not Greek). She also requested chocolate layer cake. This is the standard birthday cake for everyone. I asked if she wanted me to change it up, make a different kind of cake, a different dessert, but no. It had to be the chocolate cake. (Homemade, not from a mix, with homemade icing). And so of course that is what I did. Tradition is a good thing. Traditionally, some candles are put into the top of the cake, husband dims the lights, and I carry the flaming cake to the table while we all sing "Happy Birthday" and then pictures are taken. The candles are then blown out, and then I cut great big slices and we have coffee or milk with cake. As well, the Happy Birthday sign is hung on the wall and a few streamers are strung from the light over the table to the corners of the room. It does not matter how old you are - you get the Happy Birthday sign and the streamers.

We had a very nice wine, from a local winery called Hoity Toity Cellars. They produce ciders and wines. This one was called Dusty White Glove.

Here is my "baby girl" and I before the candles were blown out.

At one point, daughter's boyfriend commented about how she was eating her birthday cake. She just laughed and had him look at my plate. This is what he saw:

Yes, this is how you eat layer cake so that you finish with the most icing possible. You eat the cake part at the bottom and between the layers, and then the decadent icing in the middle, at the outside and on the top. Is there anyone else out there who does this?

Today we had a heck of a wind storm. Our power went out from trees toppling on wires. Our very large Norway Spruce had a huge limb come down, thankfully not on the house, or on wires. I will take a picture in the light tomorrow so you can see it. I have no idea how we are going to deal with this, but we will need outside help for sure. Thankfully the wind has died down now, but there will be much clean up tomorrow.