Tuesday, November 15, 2016

I'm 50

Crap, yeah, today's my birthday. Whoopee.

I've lived five decades in two centuries in two millennium.

I've seen ten presidents, some I don't clearly remember. LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush41, Clinton, Bush43, Obama, and now President-Elect Trump. Reagan was the first time I was legal to vote. I haven't missed an election since.

I was a toddler when men landed on the moon. I was in college when the space shuttle Challenger exploded on liftoff. And I was an old married mom when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over my head on re-entry. Literally. I stood on the deck and watched the streaking lights of the burning wreckage fall through the heavens. Among the souls lost was the Commander of the shuttle, Rick Husband, hometown hero of Amarillo TX. We renamed our airport the Rick Husband International Airport, which when combined with the word Terminal, seems awfully ironic.

I was born into the end of the Vietnam War. I've seen us get sucked into another endless, winless conflict in the Middle East. Some people don't learn from history.

I was planning my wedding when 76 members of the Branch Davidian complex were burned to death after the federal government attacked their compound. I was 7 months pregnant with Teen Queen when Timothy McVeigh blew up the Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people including 15 kids at the daycare. I felt her kicking as I watched firemen carry the lifeless bodies of toddlers out of the wreckage, and I wept. I was 7 months pregnant with Baby Queen when Princess Diana was tragically killed in Paris. BQ's middle name is Diana. I had just dropped the Cute Chicks off at pre-school and made it home with my Charlie, got the TV turned on, and watched the second plane hit the Trade Center. Living 8 miles away from Pantex, Home of Where the Nation's Nuclear Weapons Get Their BOOM!, life was chaos for months. Fighter jets scrambled from Cannon in Clovis NM and Wichita Falls TX. Armed guards in armored vans guarded the overpass over Hwy 60 that led to the front gate. Back roads that came anywhere close to Pantex were closed which was pretty inconvenient to farmers in that area. As we all know, post-9/11 life was never the same again. Lack of privacy traded for security is our new normal.

I've known great love and great loss. Happiness and sorrow. I've laughed way more than I've cried; but when I've cried, it's been soul shredding. I've seen people I've loved grow distant, I've seen some of them take their last breaths. I've met new life-long friends, some I've never laid eyes on. And some like Wirecutter and Miss Lisa, I was blessed to get to spend precious time getting to know in person. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me in the coming years. Life's been good to me so far. h/t Joe Walsh

56 comments:

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday!

Mine was yesterday, just a pup though at 46.

Dick said...

I wish you a very happy birthday. You are now eligible for all the old fart discount programs but more importantly you are beginning the best years of your life.

riverrider said...

happy birthday! may your next 50 be even better. you make my day better every day.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday!

Unknown said...

Happy birthday lady! Thanks for bringing little bits of joy to my life.

Bluesgal said...

Happy Birthday! From another turning 50 in 16 days..

Kim Harrison said...

Happy happy!!

Anonymous said...

CONGRATS!

you are now 1/3 rd my age

chew on that one human

Wildflower

DarkSideLawyer said...

Happy Birthday! Love your blog!

David said...

BIG time Happy Birthday! Enjoyed the historical highlights as you recounted your long, long life... lol.

Love your blog, never comment (until now)but come by often, biting sense of humor mixed with intelligence.

May you continue to experience God's goodness and love for decades to come.


Anonymous said...

May yhr Good Lord hold you and yours in the pal of His hand.

May Happy Retrns

Michael in Nelson

Irish said...

Happy half century Angel !!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday! Thanks for the chuckles, insight & wisdom you've shared with me. I hope you have a great day.
ignore amos

pediem said...

Here's hoping you have a grand birthday, and many more to come!!!

Terry said...

Happy Birthday.
Great post.
Terry
Fla.

Jesse in DC said...

Happy Birthday, you youngin' May the next 50 be awesome.

Lin Barker said...

Happy Birthday and many more. I was 19 and headed to Viet Nam in the Marine Corps when your were born. The world has gotten smaller and more complicated since then

Heathen said...

Happy Birthday. May you have many more and all of those be great.

I was born when Truman was President.

rickn8or said...

Congratulations on reaching Curio and Relic status. Just think, when you were born, the first Camaros were just hitting the road.

Any birthday cake left?

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday

Exile1981

Mike aka Proof said...

Don't worry! Fifty is the new thirty! Happy birthday!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Miz Angel! You've seen many wonderful and terrible things in your life. Our experiences form a great deal of our character. Hang in there!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Angel, I hope you and your family have an awesome day.

I'll be 54 in January, so I have some years on you - I promise what they say about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger is true. Life can be a crap sandwich at times, but there is a lot of good as well. Do as your dog Max does - cherish the good and kick some grass on the crap behind you and just move along. Read that dog crap thought on some blog and thought it good advice.

oldawg said...

Hapy birthday Angel. Remember your past. After all every second of it makes you who you are today. And you seem to have turned out well, you know, for a ginger!

WiscoDave said...

Happy Birthday!
(Yep, that's all I got...)

Boilerdoc said...

Happiest of birthdays to you angel!

Akatsukami said...

Happy birthday :-)

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, you young whippersnapper ! I love Gingers. What do we have to do to get spanked ?

Dsmith512 said...

Happy Birthday 66'er.

I was born in July in Odessa. 50 years gone by fast, but my Granny is 101 so another 50 could come my way.

Granny said...

Wishing you the very best on your natal day. Your post was a timely reminder of what we have lived through in the past half century.

drjim said...

Happy Birthday, dear lady!

I always come by here for your wisdom...

hiswiserangel said...

Dear God, drjim, I'm so sorry.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Angel. As you can tell from the comments both you and your blog are loved.
Take care,
Craig
Spring TX

Anonymous said...

Holy coincidences Batman. Today is my 50th birthday as well. Congratulations on Reaching Your half-century Mark. I know many choose to celebrate. Personally, I was kind of hoping no one would notice. Then the phone calls started coming in. Oh well.

As a fellow mid-november baby, have you ever sat down with a calendar and figured out what happened nine months before? Happy Valentine's Day! Personally, that makes me want to reach for the brain bleach. As we know, all of our parents are supposed to have gender, but not sex. Just a little happy thought for those of us born in mid-november.

FormerFlyer

Unknown said...

November 15, or here in MI, opening day of deer hunting. The schools where I went always shut down for opening day. Not only would all the guys not be there anyway, but the teachers on the bargaining committee were all men, and that is one vacation day that they would never allow to be bargained away. Happy Birthday. I was born in 1960, myself, so I got to enjoy JFK for the first 3 years. Not that I remember it.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday!
Keep on keepin' on!

=Y.W.=

Steve said...

Happy birthday Angel, I want you to know that you and your Queens are always in my prayers.

Jimbo said...

The happiest of birthdays to you, Angel (although maybe a bit late). I've been a daily follower for about 2 years now, ever since pal Rog pointed me in the direction of you and Wirecutter. Along with IOTW's Big Fur Hat (who also just had a b-day), you folks are my go-to crew daily. Keep it up!!

Anonymous said...

50? Cool. I remember 50. One of the many cool things about being 50 is that you don't have to prove anything to anyone anymore... you've survived for a half century.

Also, you're old enough to know better and young enough to not care. ;-)

Love your blog! You're smart, witty, insightful, a great writer, and just a bit naughty. You are a survivor. Then there's that whole ginger thing...

Reading your blog makes me smile. Thank you.

Oh, happy birthday, young lady. I hope your family, friends and readers have gone overboard to make sure your birthday was an exceptional day. God bless you.

Lynda said...

Happy Birthday! I check in here daily and enjoy your site tremendously. Hope you enjoyed your special day.

Dance...dance to the radio said...

Not today but this year.
I like it.
I'm in don't care land.

Dan O. said...

Happy Birthday wishes, Angel! I'm a nickel ahead of you and remember every event you mention.

Here's to many more years with more good than bad.

Chickenmom said...

Happy, Happy Birthday, Angel! 'Hope your day is filled with wonderful surprises and lots of love!

Jeffery in Alabama said...

I just saw this. Happy Birthday and may you have many, many more. My "dark" day was two years ago. Keep the faith. It is only a number! LOL

Skip said...

Have a good one.
Just don't get any on ya.

susan said...

enjoy it girlfriend....as a double-nickel myself I can truly state; it ALL hits the fan after 50.

HA! :)

Sedition said...

Happy Birthday!
Don't worry about the 50 mark. You know us Scorpios...we're like a fine whiskey...we get stonger as we age and just might knock you on your ass if you're not careful with us.

vwrobb@gmail.com said...

Congratulations on surviving still another trip around the sun!
THE first 50 are done... have plans for the next 50?

Happy Birthday!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday !

wirecutter said...

Happy birthday (again)!

Anonymous said...

aging like fine wine...only much sweeter.....my best to you on your day, you sweet young thing...


vaquero viejo

Erv said...

Happy Birthday. I am 62 and I can assure you it only gets better because of your experience and the wisdom you have gained. Even as more heartbreak increases as you age due to losing more loved ones or your own health changes, you will handle it with grace.

I hope God blesses you even more.

Seth anderson said...

Happy bday. Glad you do what ya do. Now open the wine.

Oldfart said...

I normally don't celebrate or acknowledge birthdays but will happily make an exception in your case. Your birth was a fortuitous event which now allows a large group of good people to gather together (in cyberspace) and discuss ideas and events we consider important. I hope your next fifty is as happy as the first.

On another note; only fifty? You're just a kid! I'm pushing 83 and expect to see 100 - when you'll only be 68! Every kid in the neighborhood, some of whom speak limited English, calls me "Grandpa" and there's an elementary school down the street! Hug your kids for me - I can be their grandpa too.

Ogrrre said...

You're just a baby, Angel. I can add two more Presidents to your list: Eisenhower and Kennedy. I was 15 when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. WW2 was just 9 years past, and the Korean War was just one year past when I was born. I was 9 when Kennedy was assassinated. Neither Alaska nor Hawaii were yet states.

MMinWA said...

Well Happy Birtrhday-I'm a bit late to your party. Enjoy. The years really start picking up speed now.
MM