2001 - Egads, Suse is 50!!! ~ Pawprints and Purrs

You were born Cecilia Mitcheline Parsons, Easter Sunday April 22, 1951, later adopted as "Susie" by your beloved daddy, Duval Stallings. Today you are 18263 days old. (Need a crutch hon?) You share this astrological sign with many 'other' Taurus notables, such as: Candace Bergen Carol Burnett, Cher, Queen Elizabeth II, Saddam Hussein (Sorry 'bout that.), Jay Leno, Willie Nelson, Al Pacino (Woohoo!), Michelle Pfeiffer, Jerry Seinfeld, Stevie Wonder, and Wynonna Judd.

Besides being the advent of life for a precious purrrson (Dat's you, silly!!), 1951 was an interesting year: Dennis the Menace was born, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood aired for the first time. The Korean War continued to rage on. President Truman fired General MacArthur. In the US, color TV was introduced. Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst died, ending the proliferation of scandal sheets and tabloid gossip magazines. (Huh? ... What are all those rags at the grocery store checkout?) Congress passed the 22nd Amendment, limiting a President to two terms. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of passing U.S. nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union; both were sentenced to death. Senator Estes Kefauver began investigation of gambling and organized crime. Movie theatres experimented with a variety of attractions, including wide-screen projection and 3-D effects. (You still awake?)

Movies released during your year of birth include: African Queen, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Enforcer, Along the Great Divide, An American in Paris, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Red Badge of Courage, The Thing, Alice in Wonderland, When Worlds Collide, Flying Leathernecks, The Lost Continent and Tarzan's Peril. Popular TV Shows: I Love Lucy, Adventures of Ellery Queen, Captain Video and What's My Line. The big song hit of 1951 was Nat King Cole's version of "Unforgettable". (Well now, I just think that's appropriate.)

Books released this year were: A Man Called Peter, Catherine Marshall; Lie Down in Darkness, William Styron; Desirée, Annemarie Selinko; From Here to Eternity, James Jones; The Caine Mutiny, Herman Woulk; The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger.

Cars made in '51 are today highly sought-after antiques (Oops): Buick, Dodge PU, Ford, Ford PU, Ford Woody, Chrysler, Pontiac, Kaiser, Plymouth, Packard, Studebaker, Hudson, and even the John Deere Tractor.

But there's another year, an Internet year... when a li'l Rebel gal met a sweet Yankee boy, and you found your 'one and only': the Jokester, the CraigCat!! He said you'd remember this very special Something.

Ah, yes, the 'Net! ... the WEB!! ... where you learn the Benefits of growing old(er), elder, senior, er, whatever.

You form friendships with caring people who share in your celebration by sending Greetings, and some very Wise, and Sensitive poetry for your special day! Is this spAEcial, er what?

Enjoy your 50th birthday, Dear Suse. You are loved!