2020 Life Logs, Day 177: Happy Birthday, Jonah & Last Day of School
Date: Friday, June 26, 2020
Weather: Sunny; High 81, Low 66 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was a day of celebration. It was the last day of “school” as we have come to know it during Covid-19 and it was Jonah’s 11th birthday. Jonah is one of those rays of sunshine in the world. I think of him as a sprite spreading joy in the world. Plus, he’s a great athlete and musician with an impish smile and incredible head of hair. Happy Birthday, Jonah!
East Falmouth School had a drive-through parade to end Ollie’s second grade year and when the Goldstones returned home from that event, I joined them at their house for the opening of presents from grandmothers. 
I got Jonah a baseball trainer which is a pole on a very substantial portable stand with a baseball on a swing trainer. You swing the baseball so it winds around the pole and then hit the ball sending it spinning in the opposite direction so you can hit it again. Since Jonah was a toddler, he has been obsessed with playing games with balls of all kinds, but especially soccer balls, basketballs, and baseballs. I don’t know how long it will last, but today the baseball trainer kept Jonah’s attention. He is constantly wanting someone to pitch to him and now he has a full-time pitcher on duty at all times. 
Jed’s mom, Marti, got him a frisbee golf practice basket. Frisbee or disc golf is a game in which players throw a disc at a target basket. In a large park, there can be 9 to 18 of these baskets and the game is played using rules similar to golf. Jonah’s practice basket came with 5 colored discs or frisbees that you try to throw and get into the basket. I didn’t get to try it today, but it looks like a lot of fun. And the scooters I ordered from Amazon also arrived today, not part of the birthday celebration, but we had to go to the Skate Park to give the new scooters a try. Then we ended the day with a family dinner.
Jonah made sure he brought his friends to dinner with him—polar bear, hippo, and his very favorite lamby. For Jonah, no birthday is complete without his little stuffed lamb that shares his birthday. Then there was the opening of Jonah’s present from mommy and daddy. His gift from them last year was a bass guitar and in the last twelve months, he has become quite an accomplished bass player. But the bass guitar that gave him last year was an adult size and quite challenging for him to handle. So this year, they got him a smaller bass that should make playing a little easier. All the Goldpebbles headed to the basement to play a bit of music with Jonah—Sam on drums, Ollie on electric violin, and Jonah on electric bass. Then it was time for the angel food birthday cake. Tomorrow afternoon we will celebrate again with three of Jonah’s friends.
