In case my brother still reads this thing, here is a stab at embarassing him with an ancient memory.

Remember the IHOP growth charts fastened side by side inside the door of our shared bedroom? Aside from the differing height markings (I was taller than you back then), they were identical...until someone added dialogue to his.

For some reason, your creative enhancements emerged from the fog within my mind as I drifted off to sleep last night. I bet you don't even remember it...so here is a little reminder for you.

As I recall, there was a mother kangaroo with her son riding within her pouch. These International House of Pancake mascots from the 70s probably had names but they are long forgotten. Yet what is remembered is you inking the child's contribution to the conversation: a cartoon bubble coming not from his mouth, but from deep within the pouch and containing the favorite word of 7 year-old boys across the fruited plain..."fart!"

And the vandalism did not stop there: A second bubble contained the momma marsupial's response, one which was seemingly not modeled after our own mother. The Kanga's response to her little Roo was a phrase that is apparenly seared, yes seared, into my mind forever: "Good one, son!"

I remember both of us finding this terribly amusing at the time. What would be truly entertaining is if Mom kept these charts as memento's of our growth...and as evidence.