Dear Shirley,
Our nieces and nephews and some of my grandchildren have descended on my house today. And they think it will be quite fitting for us to have lunch at the Olive Garden to celebrate my 87th birthday.
Good lord, Shirley. I am old.
Seems like only yesterday we were kids down in South Dakota. We would squeeze what we called "tobacco spit" from grasshoppers and drink milk from our cow named Brooksie.
Who ever thought you would end up in Tucson or that I would spend most of my life in Grand Forks? We lived through the Great Depression and we saw our brothers Harley and Walter come home safely after World War II. Because of those veterans, some say we are the Greatest Generation.
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When we were kids we had the first radio in our neighborhood. The men used to gather at our house to listen to the Joe Louis prizefights. I always remember the funny papers and how detective Dick Tracy had a two-way wrist watch. We could never fathom that there would be men and women on the moon.
Well, I don't care what the government says. May 30 was Memorial Day in 1926 and as far as I'm concerned, it's Memorial Day today. We are remembering our loved ones and celebrating.
Maybe I am ridiculous, but I thought the Queen of England might show up. I don't know what's with her, Shirley. She never writes. She never calls. But she also was born in 1926. Her birthday is in April, and the British celebrate it in June.
We probably will walk over to the lift station with my name on it at the corner of 15th Avenue South and Belmont Road. That is all I could ever ask. Just a little house by the side of the road and a bench where I could sit and be a friend to man.
Love from your sister Marilyn with lumps and bumps and wrinkles.
P.S. I have earned every one of them.
P.P.S. This week we are grieving the death of Maggie McDermott. She was an avid and sharp bridge player. We met at the tables a couple times a week. At least. She grew up in Grand Forks and read the Herald religiously. And you know, Shirley, I like to think Maggie is up there in heaven now with her husband, Bernie. I think Maggie probably is organizing a bridge game or doing a heavenly crossword puzzle.
Reach Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or (701) 772-1055.
