HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER JAKE

This is my brother Jake. He is the oldest in my family. When I was little, Jake would flick his rough finger under my chin and call me bawl baby at the dinner table. It was sure to get me crying. His fingers were roughened up from the work he did on the dairy.

But those rough hands were good for other things also. Jake could play the accordion very well. And he also excelled at piano. When we would have our piano recitals, Jake was usually the last one to present his pieces. And everyone knows that the best is saved for last! The final performers of those programs would always be either Jake or Debbie Goldstein.

Jake would often get up in the middle of the night to study. He was very good at math, so a lot of his homework was working out pages-long problems on graph paper. Though I have never seen hard evidence, the rumor is that Jake had the IQ of a genius!

He loved the TV shows Star Trek and Chiller. He would watch them sprawled out on the couch and then he would say, "Make me a feast". I probably was a sucker, but I took great pleasure in presenting him with these feasts.

Harry often talks about the cool cars that Jake had as a youngster. His first car was a '57 T-Bird convertible, navy blue with white tuck and roll interior. Next he had a cherry red Pontiac GTO. When in college he drove a little red Triumph Spitfire.

It's ironic, but of all the kids in the family, Jake was the most uncomfortable with conflict, yet he was the one who would eventually be drafted to serve in Vietnam. Thankfully he survived.

There is little likelihood that Jake will ever read this posting because he is anti-technology. I doubt that he even owns a computer. He earned an advanced degree as an aero-space engineer, but he has left that field and works in lawn care these days.

My brother Jake is a very pleasant, silent, mystery man. On this your birthday, I want to say, "I love you. Rather, I think I love you, because I don't really know you. Happy Birthday, Brother Jake."

Our son Jake is named after my brother Jake.