happy

 I'll make this short.

tomorrow, Nov. 4th, is my 84th birthday.

I'm taking no presents which are valued under $10,000.  Call my lawyer to contribute.

or should it be $20,000?   I'd think anyone dumb enough to just give me 10 K - hey, they'll fork over another 10.  Won't they?

I'll pay the taxes if any.  since this will be a gift under 35k, I believe it is tax free.  You're just too good to me.  

Stones from my mom:

I was born in Tecumseh, Okla.  My mother was the h.s. band director there at that time.  I wonder if she had to miss a football game.

I assume it was a Tuesday, because this date is the date that FDR (Roosevelt) was elected to his 3rd term.  Before then, nobody wanted to be President of the USA more than 2 terms.  Roosevelt went on to  be elected for his 4th term and died in office.   He saddled us with several projects which are still costing us money.  Some think he was responsible for ending the depression.  Others know it was WWII that did it.

Moving on.   born about 5 minutes before midnight...born at home...brother Jim (16 mo old) was standing in his baby bed looking out - watching - learning.  I always figured this warped him somewhat in later life.

for now - one last thing - later as I was turning 5 almost - we were living in Dodge City, Kansas, the 1st time.   My mom was teaching kindergarten in an elementary school.  We lived in an area that went to a different elem.  My mom did not want to pay a baby sitter for that whole year, so she took Clorox and blotted out the 4 on my birth certificate.  She inked in a 1 instead.  Apparently, if you were born by the 1st of November, you could start school = kindergarten.

Yes, she cheated.  The revised birth certificate was presented, and I started kindergarten that year - in the morning - half day classes - I'd be dropped off (dumped) on the school's doorstep.  When noon rolled around, someone transported me to my mom's school, and I was in her afternoon kindergarten class.  Nobody seemed to really care.  I got to go to a full day's kindergarten.  No baby sitter to pay.  All was well.  I always figured this warped me somewhat in later life.

Brother Jim was in the 1st grade at the appropriate building all day, and brother Marshall was in the 4th grade.  I believe Marshall was a year ahead in his schooling too.  Born in January, I don't know how mom was able to pull that off.  I remember nothing from that year except walking UP a long flight of stairs to my mother's classroom everyday.  Her room must have been on the 2nd floor.

Aside note before I close:  It was when I was 5 years old that my father started us on band instruments.  I wanted to play trombone.  He found a tiny trombone which used a cornet mouthpiece and started me.  It wasn't long before I traded back to a cornet with 3 easy valves.

Soooooooooooooo

Happy birthday to me.  84 and still kicking.   I suppose somebody wanted me to live this long for a reason.  Isn't everything done for a reason?  Surely nothing happens per chance.  Surely.

More later.

mtz