December 9, 2001
It Was Twenty Years Ago Today ...
An enduring birthday-morning tradition in the Polen household, as The Tots were growing up, was "Mom" sneaking out to the living room stereo at the crack of dawn -- preferably while everyone was still asleep -- and blasting The Beatles' "Birthday" at eardrum-shattering volume. Other birthday traditions were more benign (and less likely to get us in trouble with our neighbors), but this is the tradition that made me laugh the hardest, every March 21st, May 4th and December 9th.
My lovely oldest daughter is twenty years old today. I wish I were there to personally rattle the windows and send Betty-Next-Door scrambling for the phone, to call 911 ... but this will have to do.
They say it's your birthday. Happy Birthday to you!
