Friday, February 12, 2021

Happy Birthday Jackie!


On the morning of this February 12 date, well over a half century ago, my little brother and I sat on a curb on the south side of Fairhaven Avenue, in Burlington, Washington.

It was a cold February morning.

Why were we sitting on that cold curb?

Because on the north side of Fairhaven Avenue we could look at the then location of United General Hospital, known then as Burlington Matthews Hospital, located so close we could see it from our kitchen window on Washington Avenue, because our house was located on the other side of the block from Fairhaven Avenue.

But we wanted a closer look than that available from our kitchen window.

Why did we want a closer look?

Because dad had told us to sit on the curb whilst looking at the 2nd window from the left on the 3rd floor.

Why?

So, that dad could show us our new baby sister.

I remember this like it was yesterday. My little brother and I were so excited to see our new little sister for the first time.

We sat there maybe five minutes before we saw dad at that window, holding that little bundle of joy, waving at us.

That is little sister Jackie you see in the composite photo above.

You can sort of tell from that photo that we sorta doted on little sister Jackie. Little did we know then that by the end of the decade a new sister would be replacing Jackie in the baby sister role, and that we would get to do that doting thing all over again.

On the right side of that composite photo above, that would be little brother Jake, standing with Jackie and me. Jake and Jackie and Jackie's first husband, Jack, just returned from a Happy Birthday visit to Laughlin and Las Vegas. I was not able to attend this party.

Happy Birthday, Jackie! 

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