“Is Your BIRTHDAY on FRIDAY the 13th”

Sep 12th “Is Your BIRTHDAY on FRIDAY the 13th”

“Birthday Memories!”

Today, I received my first pre “BIRTHDAY Call Wish” for this year! This call was from my A- #1 Grand-daughter, Alyssa. Last Sunday, we celebrated a little pre-Birthday on Grandparents Day but, when tomorrow gets here, it will be official. Big Birthday Day, sure hope to be here? Alyssa suggested that I write some old memories of, and that are some of my “BEST” memories of previous Birthdays. Just to share with everyone – or what some of the family might like to hear about?

When we lived in the Pine Lawn, Missouri area, and our lives seem to be on top of the world, in as much as we three children knew about, as that was the place to have a “PARTY!”

For me the eldest of three and the only girl, my Father invited everyone! My Father, did things like a Party , but on a grand scale. He did all the cooking and baking and had plenty to drink for adults as there were just a couple of kids in our neighborhood, that I played with. My brothers were both in the “baby playpen” but, I was on the outside, and with all the adults. We were blowing those noise-makers that had that extended blow-out piece, that with plenty of your wind, you could blow right into someone’s face! Which we all did!

With, WWII going on, and a big change in our living, we moved to North Saint Louis. Things really came down to a lower scale of living for everyone, but especially for us! My next Birthday Party there, well there were only two names of playmates that lived on the same street that we invited, Alice Thomas, who was always a regular at our house and across the street, two brothers Ronnie and Virgil Strunk and another girl across the street, cannot remember her name.

This was a lower budget PARTY – but my Father, as a CHEF by trade, did the cooking and baking and the “ICE CREAM Store was on the next block. I was the one to run down the block to the Rexall Drug – for the hand packed ice-cream. Alice Thomas was my “TAG-a-long” friend who would go with me – running and back again!

Another “BIRTHDAY” – this is when I was in the “ORPHANAGE” and in the SEVENTH GRADE. My Aunt Irene Riley, one of the world’s best bakers, best at a lot of the domestic stuff , decided to have a Party for the 7^th grade class and was allowed to have access to the dining room – where my brothers and I had our meals. In all the years, that I was in the “Orphanage” no other child had had such an occasion to celebrate with classmates and family.

One of my classmates, Jeanne Seattle – her aunt – Aunt Mary Kreutzer, drove my Aunt Irene with all of the party stuff – cake and ice cream, the most important things. The reason Jeanne Seattle’s Aunt Mary did the driving is that these “Aunts are cousins” and of the same age, besides being good “old friends.” The kids in the Orphanage did not know that Jeanne and I were related.

If it is your “BIRTHDAY” – dear “READER” – “Congratulations and Happy Birthday” – I always tell everyone that I think – that the – 13th of September – is the best day of the year to have your “Birthday!” “What do you all think?” D.V.