I was on my third day of labor pains, lying in a bed in the labor ward of the hospital in Grangeville ID, it was awful. A lot of puking going on, pain to the max, and it was a long, long time ago. The short version is that at 11:28 p.m., on a Tuesday, I had a boy weighing in at 6 lbs 15 1/2 oz. Dan! Happy Birthday!
Who can track 45 years and wrap it into a neat nutshell of someone’s life? Certainly not me. I have trouble relating time to life as it is and looking back at a moment can be so stark and real, yet blend into another chapter of a book that lays on a dusty shelf in my thoughts.
Dan was the first baby born during hospital week, I can’t imagine how as it took so long for him to arrive, but for that I was given some gifts, like a haircut/perm from a local beauty shop, a gallon of ice cream from an ice cream shop, a huge baby book called “This is my life!” and a silver spoon with his name, birthday, and a clock on it to designate time of arrival, and some other gifts like baby blankets, etc. Problem was I was staying with my mom in Kamiah, Idaho, and it was quite a drive to Grangeville in those days – old roads, old cards – and I never did collect on the hair or ice cream thing. I was featured in the local newspaper with a picture of me in the hospital bed wearing one of those fashionable gowns they loan you that open all the way up the back, holding my extremely small son wrapped up in a blanket. You know a town is small when the birth of a baby hits the front page with picture and all. It’s a black and white news clipping and thinking on it now, I believe I still have it in ‘This is my life’ which I kept since Dan is a bit of a vagabond.
Dan’s dad was in the Navy, stationed in San Diego. He was on leave during my hospital stay but I remember that he spent more time out drinking with my older brothers than he did thinking about me crying and dying in the hospital. Some relationships are simply sad mistakes, problem was, in those days marriage was the answer to everything it seemed; once that ended it took a lot of years for me to be able to stand the thought of him without thinking dark, vile thoughts. I’m all better now! 🙂
Dan is in Phoenix, living with his girlfriend that he met in Vegas – they’re in Phoenix for her to go to school. He was playing poker online for a living at Full Tilt until Black Friday hit. Umnhhhh! How many people are in the same dilemma? Come to think of it, I do have some dark, vile thoughts about the US government. I miss my fix of hopping on and playing low limit tournaments.
The wind is blowing like crazy, it rained night before last and misted off and on all day yesterday, my dog and I’ve been out walking though, most mornings and late afternoons. All in all, it’s a great day in the desert and I must admit, every year that moves my thoughts further away from labor pains and delivery rooms is really a good thing. I’ve watched two of my grandkids arrive in the last 7 years, it brought back a lot of memories are best left tucked away in my case.
Happy Birthday Dan! The pleasure of knowing you is always mine!