I went out on one of those 30-something-temperature mornings, and I wondered why in the world was I complaining about those hot days in September. I guess there is just no pleasing some people.
Here we are sliding into the bottom half of October and it’s time for the sisters to gather again. This month, we gather at the cozy farmhouse of Susie Kleffner. Susie had a wonderful day all planned out. However, as they say, the best laid plans…
Because of her knee replacement, Susie couldn’t do all the cooking required for all those magnificent meals for which Sisters Days are famous. Little did she know the plans she had set up would be scrambled and must be replaced on the fly.
Susie’s Plan: She got us a takeout meal from Studio 607 for breakfast. Then we would go out to the senior center for music and lunch.
What actually happened: Susie went to pick up the breakfast casserole and donut holes from Studio 607 when she got there the lights were off and no one heard her knocking. Oh no! Sharon was in the back and didn’t hear the knocking. She went over to The Market and they agreed to make western omelets for her and they would even deliver them as soon as they were done. Sharon at Studio 607 was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on their casserole. Since she didn’t know what happen or why she hadn’t seen Susie, when the casserole was done Sharon loaded it all up and brought it out to Susie’s house. Both arrived at the same time and we had two wonderful breakfasts. We ate the omelets and donut holes for breakfast and the casserole and a mixed fruit salad for lunch with a pumpkin roll for dessert. It was all delicious. The fact that both Studio 607 and The Market went the extra mile to see that their customer, Susie, got what she needed to make our Sisters Day a success, this kind of service says a lot about these two small businesses. Thanks to both of them and all their employees. Thanks to Susie for her quick thinking and the excitement she added to our day.
Of course, the day was filled with conversation and laughter and today prayer. We said a rosary for this nation; that we may return to being one nation under God.
The pumpkin roll had a different flavoring then the ones we are used to. Shirley makes pumpkin rolls for the holidays that are so good. I can’t tell you what spice she uses that makes it taste different, but we all agreed that the one Susie had, as good as it was, it wasn’t Shirley’s. When Bob, her husband, was working at Fort Leonard Wood, Shirely sent a pumpkin roll with him to share with the other guys he worked with. When he came home, Bob told Shirely it had been decided that she had to make a pumpkin roll for every carry-in they had and no, she didn’t get a vote.
Of course, quilting came up. We talked about people getting quilts and storing them away because so-and-so made them. We all agreed that if you get a quilt, it should be used, or at least displayed, otherwise all the work the quilter put into it was wasted. That is just or opinion and opinions are like noses, everybody’s got one.
After lunch, Susie pulled out a quilt. She just got that from one her grandma made, I think. It was embroidered blocks done in red white and blue. They were set together with blue, a solid and a print. Then framed with a blue, a white and a red border. It is so beautiful. Susie, thanks for sharing that with us.
We talked about time management. There’s never enough time to get everything done. We all thought we would have time for it all once we retired. Now I wonder how I ever had time to work. The biggest problem now is not only having to manage your schedule but trying to fit into your kids’ schedules when you need help from them. Then, you worry about them worrying about finding time to fitting you into their schedules. Are you shaking and holding your head yet? I am.
Lucy talked about one time when she and Vic were in Texas. A rocket was going to launch. They were visiting one of Vic’s World War II army buddies. We thought that was an event because they don’t launch very many. He said what do you mean they launched 25 this year, so far. That was a long time ago. I don’t know what the count is now.
Another topic was these cell phones. I have a handful of hair every time I try to send a picture. Forget about video; I can’t keep my subject in the picture. My 2-year-old great-great nephew King takes better videos then I do.
Laughter is always a part of the day. This time we talked about our brother Leo and how he used wire to fix everything that needed put back together. The lawn mower, the rail fence, lawn chair. Over the years the wires wore out and wound up strewed all over the yard. So now they are little reminders of him under foot.
Now there are little stacks of wire all over the place, where the wire has been found and piled up.
Lucy has a crochet hat that she has about worn out. She asked if we knew anyone who could make her another one? There were several suggestions, and this brought up one of our dad’s sayings: “If they cut his head down to fit his brain he could use a peanut shell for a hat…”
We exchanged books again. I got a big bag of them to take home. I’m glad because I’ve been out of something new to read for a while.
Shirely is on block 42 of her state bird quilt. That girl loves to embroidery and she’s good at it.
I never cease to be amazed at the wonders of nature. Take, for example, the pelican. It’s strange when you think about it; his mouth can hold more than his stomach. Opossums hang by their tails in trees, but bats have to use their toenails and hang in caves. We won’t even mention elephants and kangaroos. Do you think God has a sense of humor? Just look around.
We ended the day by drawing names for our Christmas gift exchange. We always do that at the October gathering so we have plenty of time to come up with the perfect present for whoever we get. There is never any worry about who gets your name we have been doing this for so long we got it down pat. What fun.
I can’t believe we are so close to the end of another year. In another year or two I won’t even notice the days they will be going by so fast. I’ll just count the weeks and fell the breeze as time goes by.
Thought: If you don’t hear it with your own ears or see it with your own eyes, don’t invent it with your small mind and share it with your big mouth.
Fun Fact: As a 21-year-old Army soldier, Clint Eastwood was the only passenger on a military plane when “everything went wrong.” Out of oxygen and fuel, the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, Eastwood then had to swim over a mile through a “white shark breeding ground.”
