Gertrude Baines (right) poses with her pastor Warren Smith (left) at the Western Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles.  (photo: The Associated Press / Damian Dovarganes)

This past Monday, Gertrude Baines celebrated her 115th birthday, making her the world’s oldest known living person.  Friends sang to her, Guinness World Records proclaimed her as the world’s oldest person,…she even got a letter from President Obama wishing her a happy birthday.  Neat!

Gertrude was born in 1894.  This woman has witnessed women getting the vote (19th Amendment, 1920) and racial segregation being outlawed (Civil Rights Act, 1964).   She has seen the heyday of telegraphy evolve into the heydey of email and texting.  She has seen a LOT.

Her secret?  She says owes her longevity to the Lord.  That she never drank, smoke, or fooled around.  And she has only 2 complaints.  One is her arthritic knees.  Two is that the bacon she is served at the hospital isn’t crisp enough.

Did you hear that people??  The world’s oldest living person doesn’t drink, smoke, or fool around, but she eats bacon!  And she likes it crisp!  Do you know what this means?  This means that I too will live to 115!!  Mwahahahaaaa!

The article.

Thanks to G!  Who would also live to 115 if she didn’t keep, um, engaging in anti-social behavior while eating pasta.