Happy Birthday, Harry

Today is Harry's 67th birthday.

He was born at St. Anthony Hospital in Michigan City about 5 1/2 months after me.  His mother had a doctor's appointment that day and had just gotten home on the bus when the contractions started.  She barely made it back to the hospital in time.  Harry was their third child and first son.  And he was a real cutie.

A little while ago I conducted an 'in-person' interview with him and here's how it went.

Happy Birthday, Harry.  Are you having a good day?  Other than having a cold, I'm having a real good day.  What have you done so far?  I slept in and had carrot cake for breakfast.  Are you thinking about seeing a doctor anytime soon for this cold that you've had for weeks?  It's always a possibility.

Do you have any special plans the rest of the day?  We're going to have a nice dinner at William B's.

I know you're the grandpa of 20 grandchildren and the great-grandpa of 4.  How do you feel about that?
Proud.  It's kind of mind-boggling when you think about it.  It's not something you would have foreseen in your future?  No not at all.

What do you like best about it?  Just looking at them and watching them grow and how much each one of them changes.

What were the highlights of the past year.  This has been my first full year of retirement and it has been great.

What do you like best about retirement.  Not having to get up early every day.

Are there any drawbacks?  None!

How do you feel about both your sons being in the Army?  It's pretty awesome and at times pretty scary.

 

Do you have any special goals or plans for the coming year?  Play more golf and play golf with you. 

And we're really looking forward to being in Colorado when Dan gets back from Afghanistan.

What can you tell us about yourself that most people might not know?   I like all the Chicago Sports teams.    Except one.

I like sitcoms and we enjoy American Idol and Dancing With the Stars.

 And every single night I have to have a bowl Doritos.

 

And that was about all I could get out of him.  But there's lots I could say about him.  Harry's a sweet, easy-going guy.  He not only enjoys his grandchildren but he has a real way with them.

He loves his kids, grandkids, great grandkids, and his wife.

 

He's a good driver and it's a good thing because he's driven us all over the United States.  He's one of the nicest guys I've ever known and one of the smartest.  And best of all, he has a sense of humor that's quirky, clever, and unexpected.  Harry's a wonderful person, father, grandpa, great grandpa and husband.  And I'm one very lucky girl.

So Happy Birthday, Sweetie.  I hope it's all you deserve and more and I hope the coming year is your best ever but not as great as the many years to come.  (Oh, and if you're not feeling much better tomorrow, I'm dragging you to the doctor.)

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Today is our son-in-law Mike's birthday.  He and Sarah and their 3 kids live in Louisville, KY.  We first got to know Mike back in 1997 and he and Sarah were married in 2000.

 From the very beginning, he fit right in with his easy-going fun-loving ways.

 

A little while ago, I conducted a phone interview with him.  Here's how it went.

Happy Birthday, Mike!  Are you having a good day?  Yes I'm having a very good day.

What have you done so far?  I went goose hunting this morning.  Did you get any?  No we didn't have any luck, but I spent a good 4 hours in 27 degree weather with 15 mph winds so I have that going for me.

 

And then we went to Trey's basketball game and the grocery.  Now I'm sitting down to read the paper.

Do you have any special plans for tonight?  Let's see.  Sarah's making me breakfast for dinner.  Is that your choice or hers?  It's mine.  Then I guess I'll see if my family got me any presents.

You seem to be a natural as a father and obviously you enjoy that role.  What is your most important philosophy as a dad?  I would say 'have high expectations'.  You never know what your kids are capable of unless you expect them to surprise you.

 

And do you have a most important philosophy as a husband?  Well I've always heard a happy wife is a happy life.  I try to live by that one.

 

Everyone knows you love sports of all kinds and that you're a skilled golfer.  Did you ever consider a career in golf?  No.  I picked up golf late.  I had a tryout with the Seattle Mariners for baseball when I was in high school but I didn't go.  You just didn't go?  No, I was going off to college and even if I made some minor league baseball squad I knew I would never be a professional baseball player.

I know you've been in your present job a little over a year but I'm not sure what you do.    My title is Sales Manager for an environmental testing laboratory.  That sounds kind of boring.  It pretty much is.  I'm a hoot at parties.  But you're doing well at it?  Yeah, I've had a really good last 3 months so it's coming along pretty well.

What would you consider your highlight of the past year?  I don't know.  Sarah feeling better has been a pretty big thing.

 And do you have any special goals or plans for the coming year?  No none that I can think of.  I have some business goals but they would be hard to explain in layman's terms.  I'm trying to figure out if I want to train for the mini marathon coming up in the Spring.  I might even do it with Ethan.  Who knows? 

In less than two weeks you'll be in Michigan City for about a week.  Are you looking forward to that?  Oh yeah.  The beach house is always fun.

What can you tell us about yourself that most people might not know?  I'm pretty much an open book.  I like to read.  I got on a kick where I was reading some classics like you might read in high school or college.  I used to go to the library and I'd get one book like that and then I'd get a sports book or autobiography which are just fun to read.  I pretty much read the classics just to stay abreast.

Also, I'm a dog lover and I have a dog now so that worked out well for me.

(This picture is of Mike and Sarah's first dog.  He became unhappy when their first baby was born so he went to a home where he could be the only baby.)  There are so many things I could tell you about Mike that not everybody might know.   First of all, not only is he a hard worker

  but he's so personable that he can get almost anybody to help him with his work - even a state trooper.

 He's also a good cook, has a great sense of humor, and he's ready to pitch in whenever a helping hand is needed.  He's cheerful, loving, and just as sweet to everybody else's kids as he is to his own.   But the thing I think I like best about Mike is that he's a truly great family guy.

So we're wishing him a very happy birthday and a year better than any year so far but not as good as the many, many years to come.  Happy Birthday, Mike!

Bluebird Feeders

We got our bluebird feeder a few years ago and I'm pretty sure that for the first year, we never saw a bluebird in it.  Steve, my brother, had also given us a bluebird house that he built and it went unoccupied for about a year too.

Then they came and they've been the most delightful birds to watch EVER!  They're very social with one another and although somewhat shy, not so much that we couldn't get lots of pictures.

 

The interesting thing about a bluebird feeder is that the bluebird is the only bird that can figure out how to get into one.  I found that hard to believe but now I'm pretty sure it's true because I've never seen another species figure it out.

As you can see, the robin wants in but just can't get in.

I love it especially when I see two blue birds in the feeder at once.  Usually when one comes in, the other leaves but in a sweet social kind of way.

But sometimes, the bird that's there first isn't all that happy to welcome an interloper.

Usually though they get along quite well together.

 

 

There are times, however, when even a bluebird has trouble figuring out how to get in.  You can see the new one entering the scene near the top of this picture.

 And when he lands, he lands in the wrong place.

And seems completely stymied as to what to do about it.

 

 

 

In this series of pictures, the confused bluebird never does figure out how to get in, but I'm pretty sure that I'll eventually come to a series of pictures showing the parents diligently trying to teach the fledglings the ins and outs (literally) of a bluebird feeder.  When I do, I'll post it too.