Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday, as most of you know. Nora got me two awesome gifts, which arrived earlier this week:

1. This wind-up rechargeable radio. Or at the very least, something very similar. It came about because I have had a boom box for several years (my stepmother bought it for me when I left for college). I loaned the boom box to Scav Hunt a couple of years ago, and misplaced the power cord. Because that power cord was a little weird, I've been unable to replace it. Since a little before we moved to New Orleans, Nora and I have liked to listen to the radio while we make dinner. When we moved into the new house, the boom box was the only radio we could listen to in the kitchen. But without a power cord, it's battery powered. And it take 6 batteries. After replacing the batteries twice, we gave up on it. This radio replaces it, and also acts as an emergency radio. It's fantastic. We've used it every day since I opened it.

2. This sunlight detector. We haven't used it yet because it's been cloudy/raining all week. We plan to start a garden (both flowers and vegetable), and need to check for proper sunlight. So it will be useful eventually. Little does Nora suspect that the first use will be to locate the best spot for the rose bush I'm getting her for our 2nd anniversary (the traditional gift is cotton; I say rose are close enough).