Above: Jumping on a frozen lake in northern Ontario this past winter. Photo by my sister.

(UPDATE March 30, 9:22 am: Thanks to those who have posted birthday greetings here, Facebook, e-mail, phone and in my Livejournal comments. Jeff took me to Mildred’s Temple Kitchen and I loved it. You can see photos of some of the lovely gifts I received from friends in my Flickrstream. Including a gift from Walter that made me cry.)

If I could go back to my 20-year-old self and asked myself what image came immediately to mind upon hearing the phrase “47-year-old woman,” I like would have responded with a heartlessly unflattering description involving polyester pants, wrinkles and hair curlers.

Now that I’m 47, I have to be amused at how wrong I was. Well, at least about the polyester and curlers.

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