A few years ago, I developed a new birthday tradition. On the day  before my birthday I give presents to the people I love in my life. I went to Jack’s Outback this morning and bought a 200-year-old spice box for Maria, I imagine she will love to have a place to store her pins and small metal hummingbirds and beautiful stones and crystals. Maria collects everything beautiful, and throws nothing away and much of it becomes art.

She always needs boxes and bins to store things. She is with friends this morning, I’ll surprise her when she gets home.

My other gifts to her today is an old office desk lamp (I might borrow it as a nighttime reading lamp, and tickets to a Wendy Wassterstein play – an American Daughter – this afternoon at the Williamstown, Mass,  Theater Festival.

I shouldn’t be the only one who gets presents on my birthday, the people who have to put up with me should get some as well.

I went online and bought my granddaughter some baby toys – she is due next week – and I have a present for my friend Scott. The dogs got some beef jerky. Tomorrow, she is taking me to an inn in Woodstock, Vermont for a night and out to dinner, we will be back Tuesday morning. She has also been making something for me in her magical studio.

This morning, I went to a friend’s  house to help them train a Great Pyrenees dog who lives in an apartment in Manhattan. A tough thing for a dog bred to live outside among sheep day and night all year round. I have to say they are doing a wonderful job, they know it isn’t the best breed for the city, but they are doing their best to make his life work and are prepared to get him to a farm if it doesn’t work. Given the progress I see, I believe they will make it work.

I love giving and I love receiving. I won’t pretend I don’t like presents – and thank you many good people who have stuffed my Post Office Box all week with birthday wishes and cards. They are lovely and beautiful and I am humbled by them.

But more than anything on my birthday, I love giving presents to the people I love and who love me. It is the best birthday tradition yet for me. I love this spice box, Maria is much drawn to the spice of life itself, I think she will like it.