Birthday Girl: Today was my daughter’s birthday. Shannon is 49 years old and doesn’t look it. Matter of fact, she looks just swell, as we used to say. She’s been driving truck these last few years and loving it. She always wanted to be a truck driver. I remember that when the kids were little and we were on a trip somewhere, she would make signs out the window as we passed a truck. Usually she got back a blast of the horn from the trucker. She’s usually driving truck and trailer to the Port of Seattle or the Port of Tacoma picking up container cargo. She calls them "cans." Today she took a driving test for a new job. She’ll be driving one of those huge gravel trucks with the big trailer on behind. She’s really excited about the job since it has medical benefits, profit sharing, 401K, and retirement. Many truckers don’t have that. While waiting for the driving test several people came up and said "I know you." They were people she had worked with at a previous company. Drivng test done, they sent her to a hospital in Tacoma for a drug test. So she’s pretty sure that she’s got the job. Hooray for our Shannon!

She asked me where I was 49 years ago today. It brought up this story. My parents were not feeling well. Anna said we should go out and prepare dinner for them. She was having pains and the farther we away we got from the hospital the more I questioned her wisdom. We got there, she prepared the meal, and sat down to eat. She explained later that she wouldn’t get to eat for a long time. We hurried back to the city, I dropped her off at the hospital, then continued on to deliver the two boys to their other grandparents. By the time I got back to the hospital our daughter, Shannon, had been born. Exciting, what?

On another note, I’ve been meaning to reread the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories by Fritz Leiber. This seems like a good night to begin.