Diddle

Today is my youngest brother's 59th birthday. I think it's 59, maybe it's 58. You really do lose count after 40! That's him (with me) two years ago.

Why the title "Diddle"?

Diddle was his nick name when we were children. He was born on a Sunday -- I know this because we already born children went to Sunday school and church and then were shuttled off to neighbors to wait for him to be born. Mom told us while we were getting ready for Sunday school that we would be having a baby something by the afternoon.

I didn't hear a murmur of complaint from here, but she let me feel her belly during a contraction. I didn't feel anything but a big belly.

My brother, Carl David Drexler, was born on January 2 at 1:15 p.m. -- at home. Dr. Paisley from Haddon Heights was the doctor who delivered him. The neighbors commented that the birth must be happening because the shades in the house were all drawn. Modesty?

Anyway, around 2:00 p.m. we were permitted to return home and gape at the new addition to our family. Yippee, another boy :).

Carl was my father's name, so to distinguish between him and my dad we started calling my new brother "Little Carl". Well, that was too difficult for my younger (not youngest) brother Mark to say, and he called him "Little", but it came out "Diddle" and it stuck. I still call him "Diddle" and he is not longer little. He grew up and is taller than any of the rest of us, and he's strong -- he's a cross-country trucker, and lifts his loads himself, many times -- still.

Happy Birthday, Diddle!