Happy Birthday to ME!

Bodacious Birthday Trivia + "Ask the Blogger"

Today is my birthday. I turn 65 at 1:00p. It may seem somewhat arrogant to post a birthday entry on my own birthday, but it's my blog, AND it's my birthday. Any questions?

Bodacious Birthday Trivia

• I was born on 1/7/53 in Odell, NE. This makes me a native-born Nebraskan. [Do't bother looking for a hospital in Odell. which is south & west of Beatrice, located just north of the NE/KS border. It closed many years ago & has been converted into a conference & retreat center.]
• I received my first 65th birthday card on FRI 1/5, from Wanda, Lois' oldest--& by "oldest" I mean "relatively speaking"--sister. It was a super nice card, which is typical for Wanda. If I was giving prizes, she would get a prize for "Outstanding Card #1."
• On SUN 1/6, I received cards from my baby brother Mark & baby sister Carolyn. If I was giving awards, they would be tied for "Outstanding Card #2. Why, you ask?
• My card from the Leckband's was very . . . pleasant. There were colorful bees & flowers on front. The message inside read, "I hope your birthday is really great. And full of lots of fun. I hope that it turns out to be A very special one." I suspect that Christy penned this, because I think I recollect that she was an English major.
• Their card contained $3, since Christy "tried" to find a good card locally but "struck out." Since the card evidently didn't cost much, the cash was enclosed to make up the difference. I was encouraged to use the money to buy myself "a decent card."
• My card from the Brott's falls into the category of "funny-mean," & by that I mean the kind of card I would send to other family members. On the front is a picture of an old--& by "old" I mean he LOOKS old--geezer, sitting on a couch, holding his hands apart like you would do if you were telling someone about a monster fish that you caught. [There also appears to be a pack of smokes in his shirt pocket. Therefore, I can condone this card as "funny-men" but not "morally wholesome.] The front of the card reads, "EXAGGERATION. It's literally the best thing in the history of the entire universe." The inside reads, "Have the best birthday in the history of ever." Get it? "best thing in the history."
• I received my 4th & most treasured card from the little woman this morning. The front cover begins with "Love isn't always easy, but one thing's for sure--with you it's always worth it." I cannot divulge the contents inside the card. This card receives a #1 in it's own, special category:  Birthday Cards from my closest & dearest friend. And I got 2 new shirts from her, too! 
• We will NOT be going out to eat for my birthday for two reasons.
• First, on THU 1/4,   ate at @ Tu Casa's, a relatively new Mexican restaurant. We took advantage of Happy Hour to enjoy a raspberry margarita (Lois), a Blue Moon (me), and free chips & salsa. I ordered cheese sauce along w/the chips. Since there was enough left on the certificate, we also ordered entrees. Lois had a fishy soup, & I had two tacos:  one pork & one fish (grilled tilapia). Rating? **** + 1/2 *
• On FRI 1/5, we ate at Franklin's, a local  bistro. [She received a plethora of gift cards & certificates from her 1st graders for Christmas, something I NEVER had to worry about from high school students.] Another round of drinks was enjoyed, including my Long Island Iced Tea [possibly my favorite cocktail] & appetizers. The bruschetta was outstanding. Rating? ***** 
• Other treats:  Over the course of the THU & FRI evenings we drank a bottle of Cuvee Prestige Vino Spumante Extra Day. You know that it was good, because it came from Italy! Seriously!
• One of my favorite Netflix series of all times is Longmire. I binge-watched it until the last episode of Season 5, which was a cliffhanger. Then I read in the paper that Netflix was not going to renew it. Then I read that it would be renewed. A couple of night ago Lois told me that she noticed that Season 6 was available, & I've watched the episodes 1 & 2 over the last 2 evenings. Most excellent!
• Lois received "whole bean organic french roast coffee, also from one of her 1st graders for Christmas. Did I say "french roast?" I meant "freedom roast." Where was I? Oh, yes. I ground up those beans yesterday, & we enjoyed our first cups of this delectable brew this morning.

Ask the Blogger:  Special Birthday Edition

• Dear Cornhusker Blogger, Is it true that you qualify for Medicare? Signed, Inquisitive. Dear Inquisitive, Duh. EVERYBODY qualifies for Medicare when they turn 65. In fact, Medicare kicks in on the first day of the month that you turn 65. "Big Brother" has his thumb on you. [We ALMOST had "Big Sister" to blame this year, but I promised my mailbag staff that I wouldn't use my platform for cheap yet theatrical, partisan theater. Like a certain candidate, her husband, the drive-by media, & a political party whose name rhymes with "tem-oh-krat."]
• Dear Blogger Extraordinaire, Tell me how it feels to turn 65? Does this feel like a milestone birthday for you? Signed, Inquisitive. Dear inquisitive, Hmmm. How can I answer this politely w/o offending one of my faithful readers? I know! Shut up!! [You might be interested in knowing that my mental faculties appear unfazed. It only took me 4 tries to spell "extraordinaire" correctly. Wait . . . Did I just give something away?]
• Dear King of the Bloggers, A guy like you must have a boatload of birthday party memories to share. Signed, Inquisitive. Dear Inquisitive, If by "boatload" you mean a plethora of parties, the answer is NO. [Not that I'm bitter or anything.] My parents let me have a birthday party as a child, growing up in Concordia, MO. Surprisingly, none of the guests showed up on a tractor. I don't recall any extraordinary presents, so they must have been in the "cheap trinket" category. Of course, it's possible that my dad & mom hid them while we were playing "Pin the Tail on the Donkey." That brings to mind a really funny story. One of my guests--I'll call him Bubba--got confused during this game. After he was blindfolded, he grabbed a bat that my dad was holding to keep my brother & sister from eating all my birthday cake, & started wailing(?) on the donkey, thinking it was a pin'ata. Did I mention that it was a real donkey? My parents undoubtedly felt that a real donkey would be "the straw that stirred the Kool-Aid" at my party. Things didn't turn out well for the donkey or for Bubba, who got kicked & trampled. And guess who had to clean up the donkey DNA?
• Dear Blog-meister, Surely you have a better birthday party than that one? Signed, Inquisitive. Dear Inquisitive, Well, as a matter of fact I do. When I was a sophomore at St. Paul's College in Concordia, MO, I lived in town. My future-wife, a freshman, lived in the women's dormitory on the SPC campus. I bid her fond adieu one evening at the west entrance of Moeller Hall & walked home--about a 3-block distance. When I walked into our house, she & a plethora of friends, along w/my parents & siblings, crowded the living room. As I opened the door & beheld the spectacle, everyone yelled Happy Birthday. [Actually, I cannot remember if my little sister & little brother joined in the accolade. I'm sure they did? I do seem to remember that they offered to collect the expensive presents that our guests had brought. Now that I think about it, I can't remember a single one of those gifts.] It was the best surprise party that I ever had. [It was the ONLY surprise party that I ever had.]
• Dear Red Blogger, How does it feel to have a birthday just one day after Epiphany? Signed, Inquisitive. Dear Inquisitive, Your salutation which labels me the "Red Blogger" is cryptic. Here's what I'm going to assume. You know that my wife & I like watching shows like Green Arrow, Marvel:  Agents of Shield, The Flash, Supergirl, etc. [Actually, Lois watches Supergirl. I do not. I would call it more of a Netchickflix show, but that might sound sexist.] Your sobriquet could be a tribute(?) to my TV viewing. OR, here's n alternate theory. My blog goes by the sobriquet "Leckband Cornhusker State Blog." [OK, that's enough flaunting of your pretentious yet over-weening vocabulary. LCSBCT * ] Nebraska is a red state. Voile! What was your question? * Leckband Cornhusker State Blog Consulting Team
• Dear Maniacal Blogger, Blah, blah, blah. Looks like you've slipped back into an old habit of writing blog entries that just keep rambling on & on & on & on. Let's see if we can't limit them to just "on & on." People aren't bothering to read them past the first few paragraphs if at all. Signed, Inquisitive. Dear Inquisitive, You can't fool me. You're LOIS, my esteemed wife. You may be right. [LCSBCT:  She's right.]

A Last Comment

I was going to try to set up a GoFundMe account for what I presumed would be a plethora of cash gifts. That didn't materialize, so if you are planning on sending me money--which I will only spend on myself--don't send cash! Make your checks out to "Paul Leckband." Your gifts are NOT tax-deductible.