Vintage: 1968

Usually, when we think of the year 1968 we probably think of assassinations (Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy), the Vietnam War, hippies, anti-war protests, and other social unrest. But just like any other year there were plenty of normal, peaceful, common events such as the birth of a baby. One of those babies was born to a happy couple on January 25 and was named "Rae Ann" a couple of days later.

By the way, why isn't my birthday listed in the Wikipedia article? ;-) I'm kidding, of course. But I am the number one (and two, at the moment) "Rae Ann" on Google even ahead of a Hospital named Rae Ann, which is really weird because I'm just some housewife in Tennessee. LOL But what is really weird is that most people I interact with in "real" life have no idea about this.

If you're curious about other products of 1968 here are a few things. If you like wine, especially pretty old wine, and have a lot of money you could try some of these. Apparently, 1968 wasn't a great year for wine though. Oh well.

It was a great year for music. My mom used to talk about how I'd bounce in my carseat to Marvin Gaye's "Heard It Through the Grapevine" which has been overlooked in the above Wiki article despite its being a #1 hit late in the year. Other favorites from 1968 are "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Cream, "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors, "Born To Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, "Hey Jude" by The Beatles, and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, among others.

If you like muscle cars then 1968 was a pretty good year. However, the best cars from that year are the Chevrolet Corvettes which aren't listed as "muscle cars" in the Wiki article because I guess they are more considered "sports cars", whatever the difference might be.

Well, it's a good thing that David is particularly fond of 1968 vintages. ;-) Several months ago he bought this:

Yes, it's a 1968 red Corvette.

"His and Hers", sorry that the garage is such a mess but the other detached garage is being finished inside and so a bunch of stuff had to be moved temporarily into the this garage.

When he bought this car it was in good running condition (much like me when he first "got" me, lol) but it is a "project car" and he has dismantled much of its insides so he can truly restore it. The car's insides are now about as bad a mess as my insides. ;-) But unlike me, it will be worth pretty big bucks after it is fully restored. To fully restore me to "mint" condition would probably be impossible, but if you tried you'd have to spend a whole lot more money than to restore this lovely automobile.

Here is a nice shot of the quintessential, iconic, curvacious shape of the Corvette that is probably what most people think of when they hear about Corvettes. This is the C-3 body style that was produced from 1968 to 1982, which is kind of a long time for a car to keep the same body style.

Well, it's tempting to ask myself, "When did I get so old?" But really, the answer to that question is pretty easy. All I have to do is look around at my life and see all the wonderful blessings that can't be any kind of "instant" results, but are truly the products of many years of hard work, struggles, and also good times. I have a really great life and for that I'm eternally grateful to the Universe and the people who have loved me. I'm happy to be beginning my 39th year, and I hope to have at least 39 more happy years ahead of me.