My birthday, Aug. 22, was always a celebration, not because it was on holiday but mainly because it meant the end to summer vacation and soon back-to-school. We usually celebrated in an unusual way. Ironically I didn't like cake (not that way anymore!). I usually requested a pot of okra gumbo since it was the height of the okra season. As the years rolled on, the school year began earlier and earlier. The last few years before I retired from teaching, my birthday usually fell in the second of the new term.