I was born on a farm in the hill country of Western Iowa (Anthon) September 13, 1932. Birthdays were were always a big deal in our family. Each of us got to pick our own cake. I always chose the same thing. It was called a sunshine cake that my mother  baked in an angel food pan. Then she covered  it with a carmel-like frosting. I always figured the fresh farm egg yolks were  what gave the cake such a beautiful yellow color. As I recall the secret of the frosting started with brown sugar cooked on top of the stove but I have no idea where things went from there. I only know that I thought the finished product went way beyond good. I continued to choose that same cake for every birthday throughout all of my growing up years. During my army and college years my birthdays kinda went unnoticed. Then things changed for the good when I finished college and started my job in Windsor Heights (1961).  My Harder Pharmacy co-worker and dear friend, Dorothy Boggio,, got me back on the birthday path with a to-die-for homemade chocolate cake. This tradition continued during my 30 years at Harder Pharmacy. Then when I started my new position with Dahls' Foods, she delivered this best in the world cake to my workplace to share with friends (and take some home, of course.) Dorothy has been gone for a number of years and my birthday cake tradition took on a new appearance. Actually a bakery birthday cake can be beautiful decked out with John Deere, bicycles or other things that were meaningful at the time or brought back memories from the past. But there has been something missing! That "something" is the love, affection, personal touch  and special memories that can't be bought in a store. This is what inspired me to go back to my roots. I searched the internet and came up with a recipe for "the perfect white cake." It was a very complicated recipe with many ingredients. I took my long list to the grocery store and started looking for a special flour and a special sugar. I quickly spotted cake flour, but couldn't find what the recipe called confectioners sugar. Then I looked across the isle and spotted the cake mix section. I found a Pillsbury white cake mix for $2.39 and a tub of white frosting for $2.19. I had expected to pay probably $40 or more if I pursued my "perfect cake" adventure. Wow, I think I just hit the jackpot! I grabbed my two items and headed for the checkout. The cake above is my finished product. Not too fancy--but I did it myself. And here is the point of the story. You all know the old expression, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Don't believe that! This is a whole new adventure for me and my first ever time to bake a cake. Now, after all of these years, I still enjoy my birthday. So this year I gave myself a special birthday present by trying something--"NEW AT 92."

Above: Yes-92 candles.

Views of a Farm Boy--Dedicated to promote Iowa agriculture and Iowa values--Robert Vaughn--Urbandale, Iowa  EMAIL:   vaughnrobert@me.com

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to things that are seen but to things that are unseen. For things that are seen  are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (ESV) (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).