In which the lyrics of John Lennon are twisted (and shouted some, too)

I'm Fifty, yeah, yeah, yeah

I'm Fifty, yeah, yeah, yeah,

I'm Fifty, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah….

Toasting with coconut rum punch with the Usual Suspects!
photo by M. Bretherton

And so this is Fifty
And what have I done?
Winter is done now
And Springtime’s just begun

Sunshine on the actual anniversary of my birth--
of COURSE I went riding!

And so this is Fifty

I hope it’s more fun
Than year forty-nine was
Being old’s not for the young!

My family came to visit, and Mom (and Luna) helped out
with our landscaping.
This is what I will look like when I grow up!

A very happy Fifty

It’s gonna be a great year
Let's hope it's a good one
With plenty of beer.

After messing around in the landscaping, we had plenty of beer!
Also, Santa Jim made elk-burgers.
Not to be confused with reindeer-burgers. Totally different.

Imagine you’ve turned Fifty
It isn't hard to do
Just keep on breathing and riding

Pretty soon you’re Fifty-two
Imagine all the people
Turning Fifty-three….

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be Sixty-one!

...or more than 61 in the case of this pre-2008 photo of Julie Suhr
competing in endurance at the age of 76.