Adding Another Año(Year)

How old would you be
if you didn't know how
old you are?
- Satchel Paige

March 19 is the 78th day of the year (except during Leap Year when it is the 79th). It's also my birthday.

I don't like this business of getting older. Depending on the day, I either lie about my age or just avoid the subject completely. I do like celebrating my birthday, however, because it's better than the alternative. I guess if I go by what Satchel Paige asks, I'd be 25.

The year I was born, my mom and aunt were pregnant at the same time. My cousin, who was supposed to be born around March 17, arrived March 10. I was actually supposed to be born at the end of February, butI waited around until March 19. I think it did that because I didn't want to be born in winter. Oh, I know some of you will say spring starts on March 20, but there is no way that you'll ever convince me that it doesn't start on March 19. (Of course, if I lived in the southern hemisphere, today would be the first day of autumn or the last day of summer, either of which would be okay with me.)

March 19 is the feast of St. Joseph, who is a favorite with Italians. Because I was born on March 19, my Italian grandfather wanted my mother to name me Josephine (or Pasqualina because it was the Easter season). My parents decided they liked Christine better. No offense to anyone named Josephine or Pasqualina, but I like Christine better, too.


The March flower is the daffodil, and the gemstone is aquamarine. I like both of those.

Famous March 19 birthdays:
Wyatt Earp (1848)
William Jennings Bryan (1860)
Chief Justice Earl Warren (1891)
Novelist Irving Wallace (1916)
Actress Ursula Andress (1936)
Actress Glenn Close (1947)
Actor Bruce Willis (1955)

Famous March 19 Events
The first bank robbery on American soil took place (1831).
The planet Pluto is photographed for the first time (1916).
The first American air-combat mission is launched (1916).
Gambling is legalized in Nevada (1931).
The Academy Awards are first televised (1953).
Elvis Presley buys Graceland (1957).
Bob Dylan releases his first album (1962).
Tommy, the film version of The Who's rock opera, opens (1975).
The US House of Representatives starts broadcasting via C-Span (1979)
Operation Iraqi Freedom begins (2003). (This event is a huge thorn in my side, and I'll leave it at that.)

The photo today is from my second birthday. I had two cakes and two candles on each one. My cousins Marge, Loree and Paul (left to right) have dibs on the chocolate cake.

Happy Spring, Everyone!!
or
Happy Fall To Everyone South of the Equator!