Marianne

Tomorrow (August 31) is the birthday of my younger sister. (I do not think it would be prudent, though, to mention the age of a woman born in 1961.) Even though she lives in Georgia, we are close, and it delights me that she signs her emails to me YLS (Your Little Sister), and I respond with YBB.

Giving blood

Today I successfully gave blood for my 90th time, putting me 3/8 of the way to my lifetime goal of 30 gallons. At age 50, it might seem an unlikely goal, but from the time I began giving at age 17, until I restarted after my release from the hospital after my accident, I was not at all diligent about doing it. Now that I am going as often as allowable by the Red Cross, I think it is realistic.

Changing family news

This week, my half-sister from my Dad's first marriage, Joanne (Borton) Terry, died. She would have been 72 next week. I enjoyed visits with her sons, Jeff and Jack, with whom I was close when we were growing up, being roughly the same age. Last night was Joanne's visitation, and today the service at the cemetery - Oak Grove in Morenci, where my Dad is also buried. Before Joanne's service, Mom and I went to Dad's grave, as well as that of his parents - my namesake, Allen Borton (1872-1934) and my Grandmother Libbie (Fuller) Borton (1873-1966), whose lap I can remember sitting on as I read to her while still a young boy.