June -- A Month Of Birthdays

Well, June is a month of birthdays in our family. In the "olden days" when my mother was alive there was always a picnic to celebrate all the June birthdays. However, these days are different but it didn't stop the celebrations.

My sister in law, Emogene was genuinely surprised with a celebration of her 75th birthday. It is really hard to keep a secret from Emogene but this one was well kept.

She had guests arrive from as far away as Wisconsin and North Carolina. I had spoken with her the day before. She was all in a dither. She had a housefull of company, Vacation Bible School starting, unexpected guests arrive and she was expected at a potluck where she was to bring food. I was a very good girl and didn't give it away but I did get a chuckle out of the fact her "dither" would dissipate once she found out what was really going on. From the reports I got it was a Great Celebration and a fun time was had by all.

As always click on photos for larger size

The next birthday was my baby sister June. She celebrated her 55th birthday on the 17th. June is the sister I am closest too. We share a lot of the same likes and dislikes. She loves to travel, is a whiz at working jigsaw puzzles and loves to collect frogs.

She is very friendly and outgoing and she is one that never forgets. She has so many peoples birthdays stored in her brain she doesn't even need a calendar. If I need to know a date I just call June.

One of her special loves is Idaho Spuds "the candy bar". I know in her lifetime she has eaten her weight in them at least once of twice. Now, with her diabetes and having to take insulin she can't eat them much anymore but I believe it would be okay to sneak "just one" on your birthday.

During the illness and death of her only daughter, Jenny, she exhibited a great resolve during such a difficult time. I was so proud of her for standing by her convictions and beliefs. She amazed me as well as the rest of our family.

We plan to take a trip to Vermont this fall to see the "colors" and I look forward to spending some quality time with my baby sis.

Next on the lists of birthdays for June is my Older Brother Doran. Even though we are a few years apart (He is 77 and I am 24) I always tease him about being older. I was happy to spend the last couple birthdays with him. Unfortunately this year I was unable to see him for his birthday. That's okay, Doran we will plan on celebrating when we get together.

My first memory of my brother was of him pulling his little wagon with the sideboards on it through the yard. He would load it with wood from the woodpile and pull it to the back door of the porch where he would unload it into the woodbox . He hauled a lot of wood with that little wagon.

Another memory was the night my great grandmother died. He had a really terrific earache tht night. He had his ears stuffed with cotton and he got to sleep by the fire that night in order to stay warm.

He has always loved horses. Growing up we had two old horses, Dan and Sam. He trained Old Dan to do tricks. He built a little table and taught that horse to climb on that little table with all four feet. He rode and showed his horses in horse shows . He taught both his son and his grandson to ride and I am sure he will continue the tradition with his great grandson Matt. After he retired he worked on the Mariott Ranch in Virginia and also on the Haythorn Ranch in Nebraska.

Doran, You are my favorite cowboy and I am so very proud to call you brother.

The next birthday on my list is Dick, the father of my children. As far as fathers go you couldn't ask for a better father and grandfather. We have always shared everything when it came to our children and now the grandchildren. If there is a family decision to be made it is made together. In some families when there is a split there are hard feelings and lots of bitterness. We have always made an effort to make sure that did not happen in our family. We are great friends and still share the same family values we have for the last 40 plus years. (Another person that is a lot older than me).

On June 29th my nephew, Dock will celebrate his 44th birthday. It' hard to believe he was so tiny when his mother brought him home from the hospital---and now look at him...my how that boy has grown!! Gotta be that good Southern cookin' that makes a boy grow so tall.


I know I have not mentioned all the birthdays in our family in June. There is Debbie, and my Aunt June and my cousin Dearl and my brother in law Harold and no doubt one or two that I have forgotten about. I am sure my sister will remind me. She remembers them all.

Tht's it for today!!