John Anderson Adds Birthday 54

Fifty-four years ago I came into this world. My three siblings are 12, 14 and 15 years older than me, so I don't recall the big child interaction that most families have. Although, according to my one sister who was watching me most of the time, as she puts it, I messed up a couple of her dates when she was older. I remember being excited about a nephew that was born when I was 5. And I was excited when my kids were born and now I'm elated that my first grandchild will be 1 on January 7, 2017.

Fifty-four years ago the Cuban Missile Crisis was affecting the Kennedy administration and the country.

It was interesting that William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, was born on October 14, 1644. With the exception of the first few months of my life, I grew up in a house on Penn Avenue in North Minneapolis, the street being named for William Penn.

• In 1972 when I was 10, a TV western with a Buddhist theme, Kung Fu, premiered as a television series on the American ABC network and ran for three seasons.
• In 1982 when I was 20, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed war on drugs
• In 1992 when I was 30, the Braves defeated the Pirates in the NLCS.
• In 2002, the Giants defeated the Cardinals in the NLCS.
• In 2012, Felix Baumgartner successfully jumped to Earth from a helium balloon in the stratosphere in the Red Bull Stratos project.

I enjoy getting the calls and Facebook posts from those I don't get to see that often anymore. The two calls I miss getting the most were from my Dad and Mom, who passed away in 1993 and 2003, respectively.

I celebrated my actual birthday on Friday with my rendezvous friends in Winona. When I got home on Sunday, my daughter and grandson had a nice supper ready for me along with this cake.

Thanks for the birthday greetings. Next year I will be able to get senior discounts a restaurants. How cool is that!