Birthday Scattershot

by Pa Rock

Ancient American

I woke up this morning to the realization that I had made it to another birthday, my 73rd.  I know it's my birthday because I had birthday emails awaiting me from a dear friend in Japan, my bank, my eye doctor, and the Missouri Lottery. The folks at the lottery even sent me a coupon good for a free one dollar lotto ticket - which I will use later today.

I finally gave up on the lottery a few months ago and have been saving piles of dollar bills ever since.   I did the math and figured out that people who play regularly are far more likely to lose than they are to win, but I will redeem the lottery's free one dollar coupon because you never complexly know for sure - do you?

One of my beautiful granddaughters phoned early this morning to wish me a happy birthday, and the other signed a card that her family sent.  In fact, I have heard from all six of my grandchildren!  Yesterday afternoon I walked out to the mailbox and found four birthday cards - jackpot! - which I added to the three others that I had already received as a part of a nice display on my coffee table.  (And today's mail isn't even here yet!)

I've seen two studies on the internet that claim a person has a slightly higher probability of dying on their birthday than any other day of the year.  Maybe that's why people tend to enjoy their birthdays - because they sense that they have beaten the odds.  That has been on my mind, not only because I have always had a whiff of a notion that I might "go" on my birthday, but also because I am currently writing an ancestor profile on one of my great-great-grandfathers who died one hundred years ago this July 11th - on his 70th birthday.

What a let down that would be!

There is a club for people who died on their birthdays, but it doesn't meet often.  Some members include Renaissance painter Raphael, William Shakespeare (the Bard of Avon), actress Ingrid Bergman ("Casablanca"), feminist author Betty Friedan, gangster George "Machine Gun" Kelly, U.S. Vice President Levi P. Morton, artist Grant Wood ("American Gothic"), and King Kamehameha V of Hawaii.

And speaking of Hawaii, one of the seven cards that I have received was from my friend Valerie who lives on Oahu.  She sent a beautiful Hawaiian-themed card and some warm breezes and good wishes from the islands.

My daughter-in-law sent some much needed birthday sandals, my daughter in Oregon wrote to say that she will soon be paying her dad a visit, and my oldest son made French toast for my birthday breakfast.  (I am a French cuisine fan with an overt fondness for both French toast and French fries!)

All of that - and the sun is coming out!