Happy Birthday to me!

Monday was my birthday and numerous people wished me well. I began the day with a 6 AM teleconference meeting. One of my colleagues said, "I understand today is your birthday, is that right?" I replied that it wasn't right, but it was accurate! He was a little confused until I explained that it wasn't right because another birthday had come much too quickly following the last one, but that he was accurate that it was my birthday.

I kept forgetting that it was my birthday and so when my caller identification would show a phone call from a family member, I would give a little start and wonder why that person would be calling and what could be wrong. Each time I was pleasantly surprised with a birthday greeting or song. Thanks to all who called and made my day.

I was tickled when Autumn called to wish me a happy birthday (with some whispered coaching from Emily in the background). Autumn told me that she had a birthday present for me and asked if I wanted to know what it was. "Me calling you!" she exclaimed! That is indeed a wonderful birthday present. Autumn ended her call by telling me that Prairie also had a birthday present for me. "What is it?" I asked. "Her taking a nap," said Autumn. I replied that taking a nap is a great birthday present and told Autumn that I would also take a nap for my birthday. What a sweet, cute call!

Laura treated me to her Scottish accent version of the Happy Birthday song. I can't hear Lassie Laura talk or sing using her thick brogue (definition: a strong dialectal accent, especially a strong Irish or Scottish accent when speaking English) without starting to giggle. By the time she finished all the flourishes of the song, I was laughing out loud. If only I could have recorded this call and preserved it for posterity.

Thanks to all for your wonderful birthday wishes. Until next year ...

What happened in 1954, the year of my birth?
-The US was composed of 48 states
-The first nuclear powered submarine was launched
-Mass vaccination of children against polio began
-The first successful kidney transplant occurred
-Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes
-Bill Haley and the Comets released "Rock Around the Clock", the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the charts (initiating the rock and roll movement)
-The Supreme Court ruled that segratation in education was illegal
-The words "under God" were placed in the US Pledge of Allegiance
-The French were defeated in Viet Nam, which was divided into north and south sections
-The magazine Sports Illustrated was first published
-What eventually became The Tonight Show, with Steve Allen as host, first aired
-The transistor radio was announced
-Senator Joseph McCarthy was condemned in the US Senate
-Watson and Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA
-The Boeing 707 took its maiden flight
-Swanson introduced TV Dinners
-The Dow Jones closed at an all time high of 382.74

What did things cost in 1954?
-A postage stamp cost 3 cents
-The First all Electronic Color television went on sale from RCA for $1,000
-A new house cost $10,250 (average)
-A gallon of gas sold for 22 cents
-The average price for a new car was $1,750
-Average monthly rent was $85
-A movie ticket cost 70 cents
-An 8 ounce box of Kellog's Corn Flakes sold for 25 cents

Aloha!

I spent one summer working in Hawaii harvesting pineapples. What an adventure this was! The thought of my first airplane flight and the chance to go to a tropical paradise were overwhelming for me. I was so excited when I went to an orientation meeting to learn the details of this job, then was devastated to learn that I was partially color blind (I hadn't known this previously) and was put on a waiting list. Fortunately, enough people who had been selected before me opted not to go and this opened a space for me.

Why was color vision so important? In order to tell the difference between green and ripe pineapples (see the photos). I can tell the difference between green and gold, so choosing the ripe fruit was not a problem for me.

When people ask me what it was like working in Hawaii, I say that it was fun for the first ten minutes and then was a summer of drudgery. Only after arriving in Hawaii did I learn that we were the migrant workers brought in to do work most of the local population would not do.

I included a photo showing the type of protective clothing we wore to do this work. While we did not use the picking bag, we did wear hats for protection from the sun and the long sleeves, goggles, gloves, and chaps over our pants to protect us from the very sharp leaves of the pineapple plant. We would have liked to wear t-shirts and shorts in the heat, but this simply wouldn't provide adequate protection.



This picture shows the tractor and boom rig used for harvesting. We walked in rows behind the boom; I'm not sure why this photo shows workers on both sides of the boom. Harvesting involved picking the ripe fruit and twisting off the thorny top before placing the pineapple on the belt, where it moved along the boom to the tractor and filled a waiting truck.