Odds and ends, part #17,643

I was an only child until I was 17, when suddenly -- eight months after my mother's death -- I became the middle one of five children. On June 6, 1958, my dad married a widow with four children of her own. Bobby was 21, Eddie was 20, Patsy was about to turn 17, and Billy was 15. Bobby was not a Robert and Billy was not a William, but Eddie was an Edward. Since there was already a Bob in the family, I was dubbed "Bob Jr." by my new stepmother and am still called that to this day by my step-relatives. Three of the four siblings are gone now (Billy at 54 in 1997, Patsy at 61 in 2002, and Eddie just this past year at 80. Only the eldest, Bob, is left now, and today is his 82nd birthday. He lives in Texas. I will call him later today. Another example of four siblings where only the eldest is left is President Jimmy Carter. His brother Billy and his sisters Gloria and Ruth all went first. You may consider this your trivia fact of the day.

Tomorrow, January 6th, is Twelfth Night, Epiphany, Three Kings Day, the official end of the Christmas season. This will come as a shock to people who think Christmas is over on December 25th. No, my friends, Christmas starts on December 25th. I will take down the Nativity set from the credenza in the foyer and put it away for another year.

Mrs. RWP and I still have not had our flu shots. Last winter we were sniffly in the fall and didn't get them until January. Both of us came down with the flu (Type A) in March. This year we were sniffly again and delayed getting the shots until we were "better" but so far we have not been. Mrs. RWP's sniffles morphed into a lot of sneezing and coughing, and when she finally consented to see a doctor he diagnosed her malady as the beginnings of bronchitis (which she used to get annually but hasn't had in a few years) and put her on amoxicillin. Now that she is beginning to get better, my runny nose is getting worse. Did you know that if your feet smell and your nose runs, you are built upside down? Be that as it may, I hope we both get well enough soon enough to have our flu shots and avoid getting the flu this year, which happens to be the one hundredth anniversary of the worldwide influenza epidemic that killed millions in 1918, unless that was last year.

Do you guys (an inclusive archaic term that covered gals as well) get the Animal Planet channel on your cable or satellite TV sets? Our little dog Abby loves it. It's what we turn on on Saturday mornings. Abby is absolutely transfixed by veterinarian shows and Crikey! It’s the Irwins.

If it seems to you that I am wandering, grasping for thoughts, struggling for words, not up to par, you are a very discerning individual.

So I will stop now while I am still ahead.

I'm sure I am still ahead.

I'm definitely a legend in my own mind.

What about you?

Who is this man and why is his picture in this post? More importantly, who picks out his clothes?

kylie and sue, and helsie too, and even carol in cairns who hasn't been heard from in ages, this one's for you: