As per usual, an innocent query turns into a bit of sibling rivalry and apocryphal story-telling.
I start the ball rolling:
Any of you ever know what time I was born? Mom thinks after noon, M thought around midnight, either side. My copy of the certificate doesn’t have a time, but I have a visual memory of a previous one that has 12:42 as the time...but a.m? p.m.? And is it an accurate memory? Inquiring minds (an astrologer friend) want to know!
Oldest sister replies:
I was going to suggest birth certificate. I think M is correct dad woke L up to tell him he had two new little sisters and he said girls! disgustedly and went back to sleep.
Brother replies: I actually knew this at one time. Seems to me Dad told us in the morning that the event had happened - i.e. it had probably happened during the early morning, but that would imply Dad was in St. Peter when Mom delivered and you were born in the Twin Cities. It would make more
sense that Dad was with Mom and someone else was watching us - I do have this probably false memory of Dad being with us. I am almost certain you were (appropriately) born in the Twin Cities. And I believe the two of you were 6 minutes apart.
Mom really should know, it was kind of an important event - she was there.
Me again:
You would think Mom would know, but she has forgotten many details of my childhood. I think you guys wore her out.
I do know that they didn’t record the names until late June. I wish I hadn't lost my previous copy of the certificate. The new one is very laconic. M is going to look for her copy when she returns to Monmouth. But yes, 6 minutes difference, born in St Paul.
Brother:
Yes, you came home with your name labels - "H- baby #1" and H-
baby #2". Maybe a presage of Thing 1 and Thing 2.
E only punched Dad so I don't see how we could have worn Mom out.
E finally checks in, in defense of Mom's memory:
I remember being upset with Mom when I was a teenager and she couldn't tell me which childhood illnesses I had had. Fast forward 40 years. I was trying to remember which vaccinations and illnesses J had--I was uncertain. I only had one to remember; she had 6. I immediately forgave her.
Me:
Exactly! That’s why I was hoping you guys could augment/correct her memories. But since you can’t remember your own son’s deets....
My twin also writes about memory loss:
I vaguely remember some question of what day we might be born on, so I'm thinking it was after midnight, but I'm not sure where that memory is from and if I just made it up.
Somehow Mom gets in on the thread and comes through with some details:
I do remember this much. I was staying in a hotel in St Paul and was supposed to go into the hospital to be induced on the 28th. I got up in the morning and called a cab to take me to the hospital. The driver was very nervous, asking if I were getting close and I reassured him. When I got to the delivery room shortly after, I presume about noon, they discovered I was already in labor. I had been in labor for some time, but didn't have the muscle tone to deliver. They gave me induction pills and before long M arrived. They said, Mrs. H you have twins and the second is a breach so we're going to put you under.
I am satisfied, but can't help waving another flag at my dueling older siblings:
Perfect! Clearly I was nothing but trouble from the get-go, and as I suspected, there are many apocryphal twin stories out there. Thanks for the memories, Mom! Was Dad there?
My twin capitulates gracefully:
Thanks K! I had forgotten about you being breach delivered. But I did remember we were born six minutes apart. And I thought I was born first, because I always claimed to be older than you. Don't know where I got the midnight scenario from. I never heard about the rest of the story-- the cabdriver, etc.
My bro takes up the challenge:
Not to interject in front of Mom, but if L's story and my memory are
correct, Dad was with us. Of course I am not sure how L would have
known what my tone was when Dad gave me the news. I don't believe she
was right at the scene.
L defends:
I did not hear dad tell you. Dad simply reported that's what occurred.
My brother ripostes:
I have trouble believing Dad had that to say about my tone.
L delivers the coup de grace:
I didn't hear it directly so cannot verify its truth. Am just reporting what dad said and we can't ask him. He was rather amused by it.
The point of all this sibling discussion was to find the accurate time of birth for my astrologer friend C, who was pledged to give me a reading. Since my recent catastrophic trip (broken ankle, lost/stolen wallet, bronchitis), I had been pondering my choices and my nomadic lifestyle, and she is an intuitive astrologer who has known me for some time (she was the backup caregiver when I was living with E.) She also could use the work, so it was a win-win. We settled on a birth time of 12:48 p.m. and video-conferenced a few days later.
She thinks that my writing will be the exciting part of the upcoming year. However, the influence of Capricorn is a strong grounding one, which is not conducive to the nomadic life. The overall story is that I should be looking for a stable place, a domestic sort of thing. The ankle break also indicates that. However, since I'm booked to travel for at least another 6 months, I'll have to get my stability from having a pied-a-terre with P in Tijeras, and from traveling in a way that settles me into a community and home environment. Trusted Housesitters will be my stability, I guess.
Still, in order to provide me some guidance for future homes or travel locales, C checked on some Astro-Carto lines, picking the largest cities nearby. The Jupiter lines lead to my happy place, where I'm confident and relaxed (but need to watch out for culinary temptations.) The closest cities are Anchorage, WInnipeg, and Dallas. I immediately tossed Dallas out of the mix (no Texas heat, bugs, or politics for this chick), but found a house-sit in Winnipeg during the folk festival this coming July. L (Mom's partner) is from that area, and he says it's quite nice. I'm less sure: while it has an international population, it's also basically Canada's Midwest. And no ocean? No mountains? Anchorage would be better, geologically speaking, but I have yet to find a housesit there.
My home area of Santa Fe and Albuquerque has the influence of Mars (so does El Paso, but...Texas.) Mars' influence is exciting, but difficult, and would be a testing ground for independence and romantic relationships. I think I've already had this experience. Next!
West of Phoenix, Venus holds sway. C describes this as a place for the creative and uncomplicated life. While this attracts, I would apparently feel lost without a partner. And....Arizona. Next!
Mercury is in charge, east of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Apparently, it would be a positive place to explore my roots, my psyche, my plans. That makes sense: it's my birthplace and home of much of my family, past and present. However, it's also cold. Then again, that seems to be a theme for the places C has found for me, and I do like the colder climes. I wouldn't say no, although it's not really calling to me at this point.
East of Green Bay, Wisconson, is where I confront my polarities, my relationships with my parents, and my past. The Sun, Moon, Chiron, and Uranus converge here, and it's a great place for passionate relationships and procreation. Ummm...Next!
If I give rein to Neptune's complexity and power, I'll probably end up changing my goals. If I want to be reclusive and spiritual and work with gurus, creative illusions, or entertainment, I could move to San Diego or..... Boise? I don't see myself as spiritual or mystic, although I wish I did have that sort of passion. It would be nice to think there is an underlying power, but I'm skeptical (and too interested in comfort and community.) And neither place appeals, although there are other towns in the area, of course: these are just the largest communities near the lines.
It appears that the Pacific Northwest is not the place for me: while fostering creativity and filled with family and friends-who-are-family, it holds negative energies. I had come to that conclusion already and asked her astrological opinion out of curiosity, so I'm not overly chagrined. However, I do wish she had found some places outside the US for me to consider. I don't see the upcoming civil war as conducive to finding my happy place. But the only international place she suggested was Budapest, and it has never called to me. And, while I love Norway, it doesn't fit in any line. Besides, my correspondents from last year seem to think I was miserable for my 3 months there. Just because the snow came up past my chin, I had to shovel the deck and roof and keep the wood fire burning, and I had to walk a mile one way to the store....
Actually, I do like to hunker down in the winter, and I do like the northern climes, but, thinking it over, I was a bit lonely, even though I had the downstairs neighbor/friend, the Gjovik symphony, and P's visit. So, in the final analysis, I do need to find a lifestyle and home that provide a community of like-minded individuals as well as comfort and beauty.
I know it's out there.
