The kids are looking for a name for a kid because another kid is coming. I had my nominations narrowed down to Blanket and Rumor but then found out that both of those are taken, and not even by a Kardashian. Seven is a nice name, too; but I believe George Costanza has that one reserved.

Birthdays are usually nice, but hindsight being pretty good, I should have skipped my last one. I share mine with Abe Lincoln (he was a few years ahead of me in school), which is why this “Presidents' Day” foolishness is especially irksome.

He and George Washington were, quite properly, accorded their own days of honor before the politicians decided another three-day weekend would be good for themselves. Now Abe and George get to share a new car every year with the likes of Van Buren, Johnson, and Harding. Whoopee.

I shared my birthday with the flu and with Ike's little brother, Mike. Ike was there, too, but flu-less. He was also clueless as his brother practiced projectile hurling and his grandfather tried to keep up.

Here is a warning, from the voice of experience: Do not run across the kitchen floor in an attempt to get a towel for the erupting tyke without watching where, and into what, you may be stepping, and slipping. I'm just saying.

The illness, not to mention the spill, caused me to miss the annual Union Leader “Leaders” event honoring coaches, officials, and athletes who contribute so much to New Hampshire. But I did get to watch Phil Mickelson blow past Tiger Woods to win the golf at Pebble Beach.

I left the TV tuned to the Golf Channel and when little Mike recovered, he seemed hooked. Or maybe he just can't figure out how to use the remote to change the channel. Perhaps he will one day attend the Leaders event as a star golfer.

Speaking of stars, I got a note the other day from a Manchester couple praising their newspaper carrier.

I often get notes about the fine service our independent carriers provide but this one was something else.

“No matter what the elements wrought — rain, hurricane, blizzard — if the Union Leader publishes, Jen Feraios delivers, and has every day for ten years,” the couple wrote.

“Because of our history with Jen, whom we have never personally met, we nominate Jen Feraios as the New Hampshire Union Leader's Employee of the Decade.”

Jen is technically not our employee. But she certainly exemplifies the kind of service we look for in carriers and we appreciate that she provides it and that her customers take the time to acknowledge it.

Write to Joe McQuaid at publisher@unionleader.com.