Happy Late Birthday Sister Michele

My excuse is I am borderline elderly and increasingly forgetful. That and I currently have way too much troubling my easy to trouble mind..

So, I forgot to make timely note of one of the most significant dates of the year.

April 13.

That being the date my baby sister was born. I can remember that day as if it were yesterday. I will avoid going into all the details, but suffice to say, having an incoming new baby brother or sister was a big deal at the time. So, when I called the hospital from my high school office phone there was a crowd around me awaiting the news.

Later that day Miss Linda Lou and I ventured east to United General Hospital to meet my baby sister, Michele, for the first time.

I am sure Linda Lou saw Michele many a time over the years since that birth day. But it had been many years between that day and Linda Lou seeing Michele once again, way back in August of 2017, at Birch Bay, up near the Canadian border. I suspect Michele has no memory of Linda Lou from when she was a little kid.

I do not know if Michele remembers the pony she used to ride in our Burlington neighborhood. Above we see Michele taking her big sister, Jackie for a ride. By this time, if I remember correctly, Jackie had adjusted to the reality she was no longer the baby sister.

Last month we watched David, Theo and Ruby ride horses off into the desert in Arizona. At the time I remember Michele remarking regarding how tiny Ruby looked riding a big horse. I think Michele, on her horse, named Gertrude, looks even tinier than Ruby.

Let's take a look at baby Michele's first birthday party.

That is Michele being the birthday party centerpiece, in our Burlington backyard, atop the picnic table I made in shop. That is Michele's big sister, Jackie, reaching out to her. In the foreground, on the right, that is Barbara B., who also shows up in the last photo in this birthday series.

But first let's look at Michele's first car.

I do not remember if this car was battery powered, or brother pushing powered. I suspect the latter.

Eventually Michele moved on to bigger cars.

Above we see Michele getting aboard my 65 Mustang Fastback. I lost a lot of never to be replaced things in that Mustang, including my 8 track tape collection which was stolen whilst I was camping at Deception Pass State Park.

I do not remember if the above photo was taken before Michele took me on a drive, like her youngest son, Theo, took me on last month in Arizona.

I truly do not remember Michele ever driving my Mustang, but I suspect she did.

And now another Michele birthday party.

Michele looks to be a few years older than her birthday party perched atop the picnic table. I think I see four candles on the cake. Behind Michele, in white and blue, is the aforementioned Barbara B., who we aforementioned we would be seeing again. Next to Barbara, in darker blue, is big sister, Jackie. I recognize no one else, except maybe the redhead in stripes on the right. That may be Cami M.

I saw both Cami M. and Barbara B. when I was in Arizona last month. Cami showed up at for the swim party at Jackie's, the last Saturday David, Theo, Ruby, Michele and Kristin were in town.

A few days later Barbara B. and her first husband, Dave, showed up, which was an unexpected surprise we all enjoyed greatly.

My somewhat reliable sources tell me that for her next birthday Michele is planning on being in Paris, with David, Theo, Ruby and Kristin. I have not yet been invited to that birthday party....