IRISH TWINS

      Well happy birthday to my brother! The Irish twins are the  same number in age again for the 85th time.  My  brother was born two weeks before I turned one. 

     I often think of my mother and how she coped with a new born and a one year old. She had no conveniences. She did not have a washing machine. Imagine washing all those diapers by hand. There was no running water. In the winter they melted snow. 

    However, we survived. this photo was three years ago.

NUMBERS THAT IMPRESS.

       I have a friend who lives in a senior residence. He was 93 in Sept. I phone him 3  or 4 nights a week. He's quite lonely and enjoys a chat. He's one of the brighter people I ever met so he's interesting to visit with. The photo below is for his 93rd birthday. 

 

            The photos of old buildings  belonged to Mike. The farm first belonged to his parents and Mike farmed until he went broke according to him. 

     In each phone call he has something very interesting to talk about. He likes politics and science. He was an engineer.

    Last night he told me that his former high school had contacted him about his 75 th anniversary from finishing high school. That number just about blew me over. They were contacting as many former students and teachers as they could find. And guess what? They found one of his teachers still living   at 105.  Mike was pretty happy about this information. I thought it was a big number to finish high school 75 years ago. I finished high school 67 years ago. My numbers don't compare with his. 

    At  the present time Mike doesn't have plans to attend the reunion as they don't have dates or anything else arranged at this time.

    None of my former teachers are living. 

IRISH TWINS

       Many times at this time of year I have commented that I'm an Irish twin. That means that my mother had 2 children within one year. So my brother was born 11 months and 2 weeks after I was born. Also my sister was born a year and three months after my brother. So my mom had three children and the oldest was two years and three months old. 

      So today is my brother' 84th birthday and I am still 84 but turning 85 in a couple of weeks. 

     It's my opinion, that Irish twins are more active and twin like than actual twins. We were very active and full of mischief. Since there were three of us , I think my brother and I had to learn to take care of ourselves and each other when we were very young. 

                                          I'm looking after Merce

First day of school for gr one and two.

                                   The three of two years and 3 months apart. 

     When my brother was young he was commonly called Merce. There are still a couple of people today who call him Merce . Where did that name come from? His brother (me) couldn't say Myrven. The closest I got was Merce and Merce stuck. 

     Our house was very small. The bedroom we had wasn't much bigger than the bed. We didn't have separate beds until we were 13 or 14. 

     Anyway this is a way to say happy brother to my Irish twin.

BIRTHDAY SOUP!

      Yesterday was my birthday. Birthdays are special. We get older! But we also celebrate and there are traditions for marking the passing of another year.

      Well, yesterday I just happened to be making soup. Since I haven't figured out how to store carrots, I try to use them up by making carrot soup. So the first day of making carrot soup happened to be my birthday. I'm okay with carrot soup for my birthday.

    Later on I had my candle with a Tim Horton's donut. 

     So some people like cake and ice cream and some people just like soup. I wonder what I'll have next year.

SOME BIRTHDAY WISHES ARE HARDER THAN OTHERS

     Today and old pal of mine turns 81! Well, maybe I should say relative. Our mother's were cousins.

     As kids , we lived on adjacent farms. We went to the same school. We went to the same Sunday school. As little guys we often played together. Cal was creative so things were interesting.

      Cal is second on the right in the back row. I'm to the left of the teacher's head. Aren't we sweet little innocent guys?

     When we got to be teenagers things got very interesting. Being of a very rural background we learned to drive at an early age. I drove the '29 Chev before we got the '50 truck.

    So long before we had driver's licenses we would "tear around." In other words we took somebody's car and drove around all evening and night. Needless to say these adventures became wilder and wilder.

    I left the district in 1957 but came back for long weekends. Call was away from time to time on various jobs. In 1962 Cal left for California and has stayed there. Cal comes back to the farm from time to time but I've never been able to be there when he comes.

    We've kept in contact but usually from other people.

    Years go by quickly.

     Today I noticed he's 81? How could that be?   It's hard to realize that someone is 81 years old.  When we last saw each other in the early 60's  we were carefree and careless.

      So the best thing I can tell him is life begins at 80 so he's well on his way.

SEVENTY SEVEN YEARS AGO...

    Seventy seven years ago this afternoon the lives of a young couple changed forever. I was born seventy seven years ago this afternoon. It was a terrifying time for my mother and stressful for my Dad. You see, I was born in a small farmhouse. The place was about 14' by 24' .  Mom had two of her friends , Linda and Margaret, assist with the birth. Their only claim for expertise was that they had had children. The country doctor sat and smoked and read magazines until the great event was about to occur.

     It was a very warm pleasant fall day. Dad said the house got warm as they were boiling water to be used for good hygiene. 

     So for the next 34 years my Mom cared for me and my Dad cared for me for 68 years.  Now I don't mean that they physically looked after me but as parents I was on their mind. I appreciate their support even though sometimes I disappointed them greatly. A couple of years before Dad died , he looked at me and said. "Well, you did alright!" Of all the things he said, this is the most meaningful. He approved of what I did.

   Today most births occur in a hospital with highly skilled specialists and nurses. The risks in the birth procedure for me were very high. Mothers ,in particular, paid a high price in childbirth at that time. 

      So on my birthday I like to think of the beginning and the important things that had to happen to bring me into the world. Birthday parties for being one year older? I can pass it up.

Some Cards are Wild

     Continuing with the birthday...

     My daughter buys the coolest cards you can find. Your card might arrive very late but the card will arrive.

    So my birthday card today has on the front:

     Birthdays always remind me of the giant redwoods
     on the West Coast. The way they stand tall
    and proud , year after year, century after century.
    Their majestic beauty never fails to
     take my breath away.

    Inside the card:
    Thank you for planting them!

     I had a good chuckle about this one. I hope you enjoy it.

    so do you have somebody who sends you really cool cards?

75's a Good Number

    Today is my birthday and I'm a proud and happy 75. I don't think much about aging and how old I am or how much life I have left. I've enjoyed my 75 years. I will enjoy what's left and not worry about it.

    What I do like to think about on my birthday is my birth.

    I was the first born child for my Mom and Dad. They were in their mid 20's and were the young generation which lost heavily in the great depression. Mom worked as a house maid and stayed home with her parents. Dad roamed around and picked fruit, worked in the bush and sawmill. worked on a dairy and did as many day jobs as he could find. He stayed with friends and relatives. 

    My Dad was able to buy a small farm and this is what he took my Mom to when they got married. There were only country doctors and the nearest hospital was 40 miles away. Most children were born at home. I imagine my mother was somewhat terrified as there was really very little expertise as far as delivery was concerned. The old doctor had much experience but nothing to work with. Mom's two friends came to be with her. My birth went smoothly , the doctor left and Mom's two friends took over. 

    It was a very warm fall day. Dad said the house got hot when the old cook stove was used to heat up lots of water for my delivery.

    I like to think about the mixture of excitement and fear my Mom and Dad had when I was born. The story of my birth was told many times. I was born in the house and both parents shared the experience. 

    So it makes me happy to reflect on my birth once again.

My Age is Established

      Yesterday I posted a bit of a riddle on my age related to my brother's age.

      Yes, we were born less than a year apart. It was always interesting when we were little kids and someone would ask our age. When we both said the same number people would automatically ask us if we were twins. We hardly knew what twins were but we knew we weren't twins.

     The situation of our births being less than a year apart brings up one of those questions I wish I'd asked my Mom before she died. I wish I'd asked her if my brother's birth was a little early or maybe even a lot early. But I didn't ask so I'll never know. I believe that there are many people with births less than a year apart because the younger one was premature.

    I've had fun with this situation all my life so I thought I would share it with you.

    I was surprised that such a simple post attracted do much interest. Several  readers got it bang on.   Check these blogs too. I given links to these blogs. Several more were in the ballpark and some were mystified by the situation.

    I had fun with this post and was surprised how much I learned. For example,  the term Irish twins refers to siblings who are born less than a year apart.

We were in gr. 2 and 3 in this school picture. So second row from the back...we are second and third from the right, I'm the dude with the bib overalls behind the teacher to the right. My brother is standing beside me on my left.

    At this age I was much bigger than my brother. It didn't stay that way. In my prime I hist  5' 10" In my brother's prime he was 6' 1" or 2".

    My bother was a farmer all his life so was outdoors and doing heavy work. I was a teacher and was inside so we have some differences in physique. 

What About My Age?

     It's my brother's birthday today and he's 73.

     I'm also 73.

     It's not my birthday today.

      It wasn't my birthday yesterday and it won't be my birthday tomorrow.

       We both have the same Mom.

     What's going on here?






   
Both photos about 3 years ago.

Red on the left and brother on the right.

Handsome lookin' dudes!

     

February 29: A Day of Opportunity

     February the 29th has always been a rather interesting day since it only comes once every four years. I am well aware of why the extra day is needed. I also find the birthday thing for people born on the 29th rather interesting. 


     I'm sure that if we Googled Feb.29 th we would find all kinds of interesting trivia about the date. 


     I heard one interesting piece of trivia on a radio station this morning. So here goes. Feb.29 th is a day for women to propose marriage to a potential spouse. That's right women may ask someone to marry them on Feb.29. 


    Now I'm sure some people will run out right now and make a marriage proposal. Just think how this might work for someone who has a very hesitant male beau?  The question can finally be popped and who knows the great day of marriage may arrive. 


    Since I've spread this valuable piece of information, let me know how it works for you. Has this just made your life complete?

Red Turned Seventy-two a Few Days Ago

       That's right . My birthday was a few days ago and I turned 72.

      Now birthdays don't really excite me. If I was on my own, I would probably miss my birthday. Birthdays don't get me bent out of shape for various reasons. I have no angst about growing old or oncoming poorer quality of life. My Mom died at age 59. I was worried if I would outlive her. Now I see how young she was when she died. I don't want to outlive my Dad who died at age 95.


     Now I realize that most other people are quite concerned about their birthday. It's a big deal! I only forgot my wife's birthday once! But I think it was ingrained on my mind from school as to how important birthdays were. We read the birthdays over the intercom each day. Once in a while some little kid's birthday was missed so I had a very sad and worried little kid coming and telling me that their birthday was missed. They knew that I would go to the office and make sure that the error was corrected. I also said happy birthday to the kid each time I saw him or her that day. I'll never forget the look in those eyes when their birthday was forgotten. It was like they'd received a message that they didn't exist.


     Now before I turned 72 my brother was also 71. When I turned 72 he stayed at 71. So what's the deal? My brother was born less than a year after I as born? We have always enjoyed this situation. When we were little guys somebody always asked us how old we were . I would say 8 and he would say 8. Then the person would say , "Oh you're twins'  and  we  would say "no." It would leave the person scratching their head. I often think back to the time when we were born and wonder how busy our Mom was. It got worse because 14 months later we had a baby sister. So a two year old was looking after one year old. Very likely neither of us were potty trained. So a one year old and two year old were sleeping in a double bed.

     So I am very happy to have turned 72 . You can see the standard muffin and one candle. I got a web cam for my birthday. My wife took me out for dinner and then we went to a hockey game. Times are good.

Birthday Delights

       A few weeks ago I was invited to a small birthday party for a woman I've known for many years in several different settings. Home Farm Girl was also invited as well.

      Now we were asked to bring a small number of squares or fruits and veggies which is a super way to have an easy and fun party. Most women I know go all out in a situation like this and come up with something unique and wonderful. So food at these dos can be a hit ...with me anyway. Home Farm Girl got the idea of a water melon basket and came up with something awesome.

     Now I also got thinking that there is some unfairness as if I was going on my own I probably wouldn't have been asked to bring anything and would have showed up and been surprised by the great food. I would have been some embarrassed as I would not have contributed. So just one of the little parts of our world where there is some in built unfairness. However, I did not let this bother me and we had a great celebration for one of my fellow teachers, skaters, parent and all round friend.

     So Happy Birthday!

Time Flies

        Yesterday I read a fine  post on how the last ten years for the writer have flown by, yet they have been the most important in his life. I find the passage of time to be more than just interesting. Why does time seem to pass by so rapidly?


        Today is my brother and sister-in-laws 49th wedding anniversary. It only seems like yesterday that we were young people standing at the front of the church for their wedding. What an awful lot has happened since then. They have become great grandparents. What a milestone!


       I retired in 1997. It was an important date in my life as my lifestyle was to change dramatically. I've thoroughly enjoyed my retirement, but it has gone by rapidly.


      Last year I celebrated my 70th birthday. It seemed like a more important birthday than many others. I still feel as if I am the same person I was at say age twenty! At least in my head I still feel like the same person. My body won't let me think that I am still twenty. I enjoy life and have lots of interesting things to do and interesting people to associate with.


     There is  a mathematical reason for feeling that time races by us. When I was five  a year seemed to be forever. When I was eighteen a year seemed like a long time . Ted is 40. One year in his life is 2.5 % of his total life. Ted's son is ten. One year in his son's life is 10% of his son's life. So mathematically the ratios are different so the old person experiences a yea of life as a smaller proportion of his life. Now i know I've lost some people and their eyes have completely glazed over. Future shock explained this to me many years ago and I've  never forgotten it.

      So for Ted and his son and everybody else this is why time seems to fly and I hate to tell you that it will speed up as we age. I hope that all people enjoy life as it passes rather than let life pass them by.