Another Sisters Day has come and gone. That’s 2 of 12. One quick question before I begin…there seems to be a fever bug going around Jeff City. I was just wondering if it is going around anywhere else. It starts with a restless feeling and a strong desire to get your hands dirty. In some of the younger people it manifests itself as a strong attraction to the opposite sex. This year it seems to be coming and going in short bursts. Yes, I’m talking about the weather. 60, 70, 80, degrees then 3 or 4 inches of snow the next day.
This month was my turn to be hostess of Sisters Day. After taking my turn I have a true appreciation for each of the others when their turn comes. It is a joyful event when you get to take your turn. I wish I could do half of what some of the others do. It is the sharing and being together that makes the day so special.
All were present: Lucy Branson, Mary Jo Crider, Shirley Huffman, Linda Crider, Pam Hale and Susie Kleffner. Our other sister, Betty West is still living with her daughter in South Dakota. She is doing well and enjoying her daughter, grandkids and great grand kids. At least the one who live in South Dakota close around her.
I spent the evening before prepping and the morning of cooking. I prepared a breakfast quiche with hash brown crust. It turned out pretty and tasty. Even without the sausage. Yes, I forgot to put the sausage in it. We had red velvet cake doughnuts and orange cranberry mini muffins to go with the quiche. Judging from the table when we finished, it must have been pretty good; isn’t that what it means when almost all of the food is gone?
As usually happens when we sisters get together, there was plenty to talk about. The first topic of conversation was how Pam was doing. I find I am no longer queen of tumbles. Yes, Pam fell. She wound up with a bad scrape on her arm, bruises and a disgruntled attitude. If the wounds would only heal as fast as the attitude gets back to normal it wouldn’t be nearly as bad.
Shirley said she was living in the Here After. When she goes to a different room or place, she has to stop and ask herself “Now, what am I here after?” Shirley has a way of lightening the mood. She knows thousands of jokes and can still remember a lot of them. Hee! Hee! Love ya, Sis.
We talked about not being able to smell as good as we used to. Did you know your sense of smell affects your sense of taste? If your nose is stopped up things won’t taste the same or as good. I learned that on PBS Kids. Oh! Oh, my secret’s out.
Brother Harold’s daughter took his boots and one of his favorite shirts and made a purse out of them. She attached the leather sides together with silver studs and used the shirt for the lining and pockets on the inside. I’d like to see it. Miss you, Bro!
Shirley also reported on the progress she has made on her state bird quilt. She’s gotten all the birds transferred on to the center block of the quilt and seven of the birds and flowers embroidered except for the state outlines and names. I think that is amazing. She’s doing all the embroidery work by hand. I’ve seen her work, so I know it will be beautiful.
Someone brought a magazine with a quilt pattern in it called “Log Cabin Star.” We tried to figure out how to put the block together with the directions in the magazine. We were all confused, scratching our heads and all talking at once. I don’t think we ever figured it out but it was a pretty block.
We talked about home remedies for this and that. Our niece, Karen in Idaho makes all kinds of creams and ointments from scratch and they really work. She sent Lucy a bunch of stuff. It’s nice to have different talents in the family. We all have different ones. Remember how Leo could tell a story? You never knew if it was the truth or if he was pulling your leg. We miss that guy.
Lucy talked about the Valentine’s Day gathering at the Senior Center. She met lots of friends and neighbors she hadn’t seen for a long time; some for years. She really enjoyed seeing everyone. She told us that quite a few folks came up to comment on the articles in the paper. All of we sisters are pleased that you enjoy hearing about our Sisters Day activities.
We all love to read and exchange books on Sisters Day. We talked about a book called “I Shot Pa for Ma.” It is about a murder that happened here in Vienna. Some of the girls remember the story. There is one book by Ralph Emery (the guy on the radio – Grand Ole Opry) called “The Dark Ozarks.” It’s about killings way back in the Ozark hills. They would fight each other and dispose of the dead by throwing in the hog pen. Never to be seen again. That gives me shivers.
We talked about driving a stick shift. Learning to drive on them is a lot harder than the standard shifts we have now. Soon we won’t have to learn at all, the cars will drive themselves.
Lunch time rolled around. We loaded up and went to Oscar’s Diner out by east-end Gerbes. We gathered around a big table and ordered our choice of food. The food at Oscar’s has always been good. The service was good and we enjoyed our lunch. They’ve been open for decades. When Lois and I first moved to Jeff City they were on Missouri Blvd where Steak and Shake is now. It’s hard to believe that was over 50 years ago.
A couple of the girls had to get back to Vienna by 2 p.m., so we broke up a little earlier than usual. Pam dropped me off in Wardsville and the day came to an end.
So will the article. Thanks for sharing another Sisters Day. We are approaching 19 years of gathering to celebrate family and sisterhood. We’ve only missed one month back when COVID had everything shut down. We missed May of that year. Sometimes different ones of us have to miss a month but as long as two of us can get together, we celebrate. Thank you for your support and appreciation of what we do. See you in March.
Thought: I’d rather be haunted by memories than to be haunted by “what ifs.”
