Happy 98th Birthday Pop!

Yesterday, Pop celebrated his 98th birthday! At least twice when I served him cupcakes and later in the day an ice cream cake, he asked, "Now who's birthday is it?

LOOKING GOOD POP!

Happy 88th Birthday Mom!

Today was Mom's 88th Birthday. She spent it in grand style. Eating  petit fours, bon-bons and ice cream cake, servants acting on her every birthday wish, an adoring husband by her side, serenaded by ballads and odes to her humor and wit. As Mom sums it up, she really lived it up today, "cleaning out drawers."

Pop's version of a Knock, Knock joke

Today was Pop's 96th birthday. Yep, 96 years old! Amazing!!! He was surprised every time I wished him Happy Birthday. He asked Mom, "how old am I today?" Mom just scowled at him.

As birthday tradition dictates, we went to IHOP for dinner.

When we entered the restaurant, Pop asked, "do you know what IHOP stands for?" He answered the question himself, "International House of Pancakes."

After we ordered, Pop asked again, "do you know what IHOP stands for?" He quickly responded, "International House of Pancakes."

When our meal was served, Pop queried us again, "do you know what IHOP stands for?" as if he had just thought of the question.  Of course, he knew the answer, "International House of Pancakes."

We left the restaurant thinking the rigorous questioning was over but Pop had one more question for us, "do you know what IHOP stands for?" "I'm a Happy Old Person!"

Happy Birthday Mom

Mom celebrated her 87th birthday today with little fanfare...just a tasty ice cream cake and lots and lots of scratch-off lottery tickets, her  favorite past time next to watching Bones, NCIS, White Collar, Law and Order SVU, Cold Case, and CSI marathons.

I handed her a quarter to start scratching. She said, "I usually use a penny, do you think a quarter will work?"

Pop is 95!!!

Yesterday was a momentous occasion. Pop turned 95 years old. Here are a few events and inventions that have occurred during his lifetime.

1917 zipper invented
1918 electrically propelled warship and solid propellant rockets
1919 pop-up toaster and rotary dial telephones
1920 radio compass, electric hearing aid, Q-tips and Band-aids
1921 polygraph
1922 microfilm
1923 Schick razors, self-winding watch, electric shaver, traffic signals
1924 Otis elevator-first automatic elevator
1926 first trans-Atlantic radio-telephone conversation, Kool-Aid, gas refrigerator
1927 proto-type of television  invented by Philo T. Farnsworth
1928 Scotch tape invented, introduction of sliced bread and bubble gum
1929 Dunlop Laboratories made foam rubber and 1st manned rocket plan flight
1930 1st red and green traffic lights installed in Manhattan NYC, masking tape, flashbulb and chocolate chip cookies
1931 ATT began commercial teletype services, The Bosch Semaphore was introduced. It was an orange arm that drivers could pop out the window to signal turns.
1932 1st patent was issued for a peach tree, Philips made is 1,000,000 radio
1933 1st aircraft carrier was christened: USS Ranger.
1934 test of practical radar apparatus was made by Rudolf Kuhnold in Germany, the Readphone was produced for putting literature and music on long-playing disks.
1935 ball point pen invented, RADAR, Pop graduated from Haverford High School
1936 screw-on bottle cap with pour lip was patented
1937 Ernest Vincent Wright wrote the novel Gadsby containing 50,100 words and none of the words contains the letter E.
1938 First color TV was demonstrated, 1st successful test of photocopier and parking meters
1939 September 1, 1939 WWII officially began and Uranium atom split
1940 Neptunium was discovered and named after the planet Neptune.
1941 Alfred Butts of NY invented the board game Scrabble.
1942 Twenty six countries agree to create the United Nations
1943 Silly Putty invented, originally made as a synthetic rubber during WWII and Slinky made from 80 feet of steel wire
1944 aerosol spray cans invented

1945 May 7, 1945 WWII officially ended, microwave was patented

1946 US patent was filed for H-bomb
1947 Bell labs invented cellular phone technology
1948 first tape recorder and Polaroid camera was sold, production of 33 1/3 records, X-rays
1949 Frank J. Zamboni invented the Zamboni Ice Resurfacing Machine, 45 RPM records
1950 disposable diapers, Korean War begins on June 25
1952 UPC codes invented
1953 Korean War cease fire on July 27
1954 First time a mile was run in under 4 minutes by Roger Banniste, Sports Illustrated first issue
1955 Velcro invented, Vietnam war began on November 1
1956 Play-Doh patented
1957 Peak of the Baby Boomers years
1958 LEGOS patented

1975 Vietnam war ends on April 30

an amazing list condensed into 95 years .http://timelines.ws/subjects/Technology.HTML

Celebrating Pop's 93rd Birthday at IHOP

IHOP is the favorite birthday destination for all nonagenarians...isn't it? (for those of you who are wondering nonagenarians are people between the ages of 90 and 99...but that's another story) Anyway, we are seated at a table for four getting ready to order when in walks a man, wearing very colorful vest and carrying a very large worn suitcase. As it turns out, Wednesday's at IHOP is a very special day and not just for Pop's birthday. It is balloon animal day! Well, Pop was thrilled with this entertainment that he was sure was prepared just for him. He even changed his seat to get a better view of the activities. After watching the "balloon man" make balloon flowers and balloon poodles for all the children, I approached him and asked him to make something special for Pop's birthday. He was glad to oblige. Pop was enthralled watching as the "balloon man's" creation came to life; a big, beautiful, colorful jester hat. Pop happily wore the hat all through dinner.

It was when we got home that the trouble began. I had just walked in from parking the car to hear Mom yelling at Pop. "What are you yelling at him for?" I asked, "It's his birthday."
"Oh, he broke his balloon hat," Mom said exaperated, "He just can't have anything nice!"