bert

Happy Birthday to Bert! Bert is my mom's forever friend. She and her husband, Ken, take my mother with them nearly everywhere they go. I remember visiting Bert from the time I was just a toddler. I remember cranking the handle of the ice cream churn to make the most delicious homemade ice cream at her house. Fried squashed blossoms and rhubarb pie. Priming the pump for water, the revolving locomotive lamp that sat atop the TV. Once I stayed at her house to play with her niece, Marcy, and we completely coated ourselves in mud. Bert had to give us a bath in the washtub with the hose before she would let us inside again. She was my boss at my first job in our tiny hometown grocery store. She was also my sister, Debbie's, first boss at the same grocery store and my sister, Melissa's, first boss at K-mart. She is the best friend anyone could ever have and I am so grateful that my mother has her in her life. I am saddened that this photo of her holding my son is the only digital photo that I have of her. Best wishes for many, many more happy birthdays, Bert.