Happy Birthday Mike K.

For the last 55 years I have remembered Mike's birthday, October 3.  I have no idea why.  I don't call him to wish him a happy birthday, I just remember.  I usually inform someone that today is Mike's birthday to which they promptly ask who Mike is.  I have known Mike since second grade, but we are not close friends.  He was never my boyfriend.  Yes, he was a cute little guy, but I always felt he was way out of my league and would never presume to think he would like me.  He is the little boy on your left on the first row of the 4H picture I posted a few days ago.  I only see him at high school reunions and have run into him not more than three times in all these years.  So why do I remember him on his birthday?  I guess it it because he is exactly three days older than me and it was a big deal to celebrate one's birthday at school when there are only four kids in one's class.

So..........here's to you, Mike.  Happy Birthday!

Memory:  When I was in the 2nd grade, Mike brought a metal address finder to school.  Wow - now that was a cool thing.  So..........my cousin and I decided we should put our names in the address finder.  Mike was playing at recess and we stayed in.  Surely Mike wanted our names and addresses in his address finder.  What's an address finder for if not for addresses, and how many addresses was he going to get in our school?  Probably eight so ours should be two of the eight.  Well...............Mike came back from recess.  Class resumed.  Everything was great and then Mike noticed our names.  Off to the teacher he went to tattle with the evidence.  Oh my, even at 7 years old I wanted to just die.  I was so embarrassed.  I might have had the slightest crush on this little boy, the only boy in my class.  To be called out and to know Mike was upset that my address was in his finder just about crushed me.  The teacher just got on to us, but that was all.  Whew!  The next recess came and guess what my cousin thought we should do.  Erase our names!  So she erased our names while Mike was outside.  Mike came back, class resumed, and ..........Mike checked that stupid address finder again.  Off he went to the teacher again.  This time we were not so lucky in our punishment.  That teacher made us write 250 times "I will not touch Mike's address finder again."  (That was normal punishment for misbehavior in those days.  I wonder if they have punishment like that these days.)