Pete’s birthday follows Mr. Siggi’s birthday. Both are Taurus’s, born under the sign of the bull. Both Pete and Mr. Siggi are/were typical in that they plant/planted their feet firmly on ground when under duress. I am a Virgo, born under the sign of the sheep. I tend to keep moving when under duress. Taurus’s are leaders and Virgos are followers. Baah, baah, baah.

A revelatory day. This morning, on our way to town, we stopped at the mailbox and picked up the mail. Pete’s mother had sent him a card plus his original third, fourth, and fifth grade report cards. I opened the envelope and read/paraphrased the contents of the cards to Nancy, Terry, and Pete.

His teachers described Pete and being overly active, unfocused, a dreamer. His grades were low. One teacher noted that he “really needed to apply himself.” He was also perceived as being an agreeable guy.

Pete and Siggi during Bald Mountain Butt Buster CTR

I was, after giving the matter some thought, struck by the fact that what’s said by teachers about students seems to be a harbinger of what’s going to come to be. Details seem to be set in stone because they’re in writing, in this case perfect teacherly cursive. I almost got the sense that his teachers were taking their jobs and respective commentary a bit too seriously.

Pete’s reflective of the fact that yes, he has some of these traits. However, they’ve had no adverse effect on his life. Yes, he does have a lot energy. But he has no problem expending this energy. I, for example, have seen him work for great lengths of time on outdoor and indoor projects. As for being agreeable, well, they were right about this. Pete’s a very social guy – people like him and vice versa.

Maybe what Pete’s teachers saw in him was what they perceived him to be like at the time. And perhaps the traits they then presumed to be weaknesses, over time, became his overall strengths.

It must be that the people we meet during the course of our life’s journey shape our thinking. This includes parents and siblings. Pete was fortunate in that he was surrounded by people who brought out the absolute best in him. It could have been otherwise.

We celebrated his birthday by going for a walk on the Hatcher Pass Gold Mint trail, and then we went to the recycling center, where Valley Center for Recycling Solutions director Molly Boyer talked at length with Nancy and Terry about the facility. Then we went to the recycling center plant floor, and took a look at the new baler. Pete could have, but did not talk at all about his being president at the time the new facility was being built. Nor did he yammer on about after, being on the VCRS board. Rather, he talked about facility particulars.

After, we all celebrated Pete’s birthday by eating out at Turkey Red. Nancy, Terry, and I sang happy birthday as the waitress put a piece of flourless chocolate cake in front of him. I think he was pleased that his birthday, a momentous occasion, did not go unheralded.

Next: 133. 5/14/14: Horses, Horses, Horses