Buy this woman a cold Flat Tire beer!

Cil writes about a trio of moments in celebration of one of those half-century+ birthdays:

First we welcomed a cold front. Overjoyed to have open windows again, it was dismaying for me to see the return of my night sweats.The bedroom thermometer said 64, a cold breeze wafted in, and I was lying there in bed with no covers on, sweating profusely. Ah, what a bittersweet moment.

Then I went to work, left school at the end of the day, and puzzled over the fact that my car keys could not be found in my purse, my pockets, my book bag. No, I thought to myself, I couldn't have done it. But I had. I found the keys in my ignition.

My hat trick concluded yesterday. You probably don't have to be menopausal to be clueless enough to get in a car and drive it several blocks before realizing you have a flat tire. But to have this happen on your 54th birthday just seems so poetic.