“LOST MUSKET DIARY” January
17, 2015 - 74 Years to the Date
Mostly Sunny 75°F/24°C in Rancho Santa Margarita
Buongiorno,
He: “Say,
would you like to join me for lunch?”
She: “I’d
LOVE to. Just give me a second while I run and get my teeth.”
Ah!
Life in the post-soixante-dix lane.
Life after 70. And the number keeps going up. But, that’s a good thing. Thanks
to my Sonicare and lots of flossing not to mention the skills of my dentists
over the years, I still have all my teeth. But not everybody reaches this point
in life with all the ivory intact. So, gather around the campfire boys and
girls and let’s all sing!
“Happy Birthday to ME! Happy
Birthday to Me! Buon compleanno a mi!
Buon compleanno a mi! Happy Birthday, Dear Mikie! Happy Birthday to
YOOOOUUUUUU! (And…many more!)”
Hot damn. I remembered. That in
itself is an accomplishment. The kid has reached 74. A good moment to count my
blessings.
I had no inkling just how completely my
life would change from 2013 to 2014. A year later, and I’m still adjusting,
but, enough time has passed since last year’s watershed moment that I feel that
I can now share some highlights of my journey. It’s been a year of rebuilding
and renovation, and that is an ongoing process.
Now, I know I should be sitting
quietly in my old rockin’ chair, wrapped in a blanket, sucking on a lemon and
listening to my surviving friends and family sing that ever popular anniversary
ditty while I try to blow out the forest fire on the top of my birthday cake.
But, DAMN! I’m the one that got to this milestone in my life, and I want to be
the one to sing the solo. As this latest orbit of mine around the sun
progresses, I will be on the record as having officially outlived my
grandfather. He was 74 when he left us back in 19-ought-47. Now, with this
latest birthday, I’ve managed to match his accomplishment. Not too shabby
considering I lost one uncle in his 30s, another right after he turned 50, and
my own dad at 57. But, when my divorce
lawyer told me that the actuary said that I was good to go until age 83, that I
began, ever so slightly, to hope that I might escape what seemed to be a curse
visited upon the male Botula children. So, my 74th is a special one
for me, and I plan on doing some serious reflecting.
I’ve known almost from the
beginning that I share my natal date with one of our Founding Fathers –
Benjamin Franklin, a fellow Capricorn, who was also born on January 17th….
Not 1941 in New York City like me, but 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. Franklin
epitomized what I always hoped to become: He was a leading author,
printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor,
civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. In later years, I also discovered that
he was quite a “ladies man.” Hearts and giggles punctuated his life into his 80s.
“Go, Ben!” “Yay, Mikie!”
January 17th is also
known as an important date for reasons other than a birthday shared by Messrs
Botula and Franklin. Some of the highlights:
·
1861 - Flush toilet patented by
Mr. Thomas Crapper. (This is probably my favorite next to sharing the day with
Ben Franklin).
·
1893 - Queen Liliuokalani deposed,
Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic. (Important date in the progression of US
imperialism, and it happened before we stole Panama from Nicaragua to build the
Panama Canal. I’m a History major. I notice things like this).
·
1920 - First day Prohibition comes
into effect in the US as a result of the 18th amendment. (OMG! This happened on
my birthday, for chrissakes! Next to Pearl Harbor, the darkest day in American
History).
·
1977 - Gary Gilmore, convicted of
murder is executed by firing squad in the Utah state prison. (My KMPC buddy
Larry Reed actually bought one of those gag newspapers with a headline that
read: “Gilmore, Botula Celebrate on Jan. 17th”. No Larry, I haven’t
forgotten your dreadful birthday present).
·
1989 - Gunman opens fire in Stockton,
California schoolyard; 5 students slain, 30 wounded. (In my opinion, this is
where a lot of this madness began. Stockton was my home for ten years and I
used to drive past the school from time to time and say a prayer).
·
1991 - Operation Desert Storm begins
against Saddam Hussein. (Just a coincidence. We were having cake and ice
cream in my office. I was the DA’s news secretary then. After that, my phone
didn’t ring for a month).
·
1992
- My brother, Packy, celebrated my birthday in ’92, by flying two transatlantic
missions on the same day. He was an Air Force pilot, attached to NATO
Headquarters, assigned to flying the NATO Supreme Commander. He had just flown
across the North Atlantic on the first trip, and moments after landing at Pease
AFB in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was told that he needed to turn around and
fly the general back to Europe. Two transatlantic flights in one day in the
dead of winter. He said it was a white knuckler both ways and after 25 years,
decided to retire.
Among the other notables sharing
my birthday are: Actress Betty
White-1922; singer Eartha Kitt-1927; hair stylist Vidal Sassoon-1928;
ventriloquist/puppeteer Shari Lewis-1934; Heavyweight boxing champ Muhammad
Ali-1942; First Lady Michelle Obama-1964.
It’s been quite an adventure, and
I’m fortunate that I’ve been in a line of work that enabled me to see a lot of
history in the making. This past year has been devoted to rebuilding, and I
have to thank my kids – Mike and Dana - for their love and support for
motivating me to do just that. Renovations include: getting cataracts fixed so
I can see again, and letting me get my driver’s license renewed; picking up
some other new parts like the new shoulder joint to be installed in a couple of
weeks and getting my overall health back so I don’t have to use one of those
walkers or scooter chairs. (Besides, I think a walking stick or cane gives an
old guy some dignity that a walker or scooter chair completely takes away. And,
don’t even get me started on “stair lifts” or “alert buttons” or [gasp]
“Depends”).
I’ll be sure to check in again
next year. Same time! Same station!
Ciao,
MikeBo!
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