Happy Birthday To Half Century Plus Baby Sister Michele

On today's date, April 13, over half a century ago, after a long day at Burlington-Edison High School, I drove my 65 Mustang, with Linda Lou onboard, to United General Hospital to meet my new baby sister.

I remember this like it was yesterday.

The arrival of our new sibling was eagerly anticipated. Back then one did not know if the new arrival was going to be a boy or a girl. A long family discussion regarding what to name the new sibling resulted in it being Joey if a boy, Michele if a girl.

That would be Grandma Slotemaker-Jones holding Baby Michele. Michele, being the baby of the family, never got to experience the arrival of a new sibling. I do not remember the arrival of my two oldest siblings. But, I clearly remember the arrival of the sibling that arrived before the arrival of Michele, she being sister Jackie.

Michele liked to go for rides in my aforementioned 65 Mustang.

Michele also liked to drive her own car.

And here we see Michele on a horse with aforementioned sister Jackie. I have zero memory of a horse being in our Burlington yard. No clue where the horse would have come from.

Via the candles on the cake I think I can intuit that the above was from Michele's 4th birthday party. I recognize sister Jackie at the upper right. And next to Jackie, in blue, is Barbara Brown. I do not know who the others are.

The last time I saw Barbara Brown was back in July of 2019, I think. It was at my mom's in Sun Lakes, in Arizona.

I knew Barbara and her husband Dave were visiting Jackie, a stop on a long roadtrip. Jackie did not know if a visit to mom's was going to happen. So, that day I brought up the subject of Barbara Brown, so she'd be fresh on mom's mind, if a visit did happen.

And then around five that afternoon Jackie texted me that they were on their way. I did not let mom know. Barb, Dave, Jackie and Jack arrived. I went outside to greet them.

They walked into mom's house, to the living room, where mom was sitting. I said, "You have some visitors".

I don't know if I have previously mentioned mom had macular degeneration and was thus pretty much blind.

Mom said "Who is it?"

Barbara then said, "Shirley, it's me!" 

To which mom said, recognizing the voice, "Barbara"? 

"Yes, Dave's here too".

Mom then said something like we were talking about you just today.

I don't know if I told this tale very well, but it was a memorable visit. Made mom real happy.

Anyway...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELE!!!!!