Kickass and Rosalynn’s birthday
Kickass, the doorstop dog, assists the keeper in acknowledging presidential birthdays today by noting a First Lady’s birthday—Rosalynn Carter’s 52nd which occurred on Aug. 18, 1979 as the Carters floated down the Mississippi on the Delta Queen, and the keeper was part of the small press corps on board.
Given the opportunity by pres. press sec. Jody Powell to talk trout fishing with the Carters, the keeper had a delightful 30 minutes or so at the Delta Queen rail, during which he mentioned the President’s birthday gift to Rosalynn of a trout fishing creel. The President expressed surprise—with a bit of an edge, at the keeper’s knowing about the gift creel, until Rosalynn said she had told him about it earlier.
That relaxed the situation, and the President and the keeper traded trout fishing stories until it became obvious to the keeper that it was best for the President to have caught the biggest fish.
The Carters, in their mid 90’s are still with us, the keeper notes, and they continue to exemplify the kind of decency essential to providing meaningful leadership to the ragged ship of Democracy. Happy birthday Jimmy and Rosalynn!
