Friday, September 1, 2017

Sisters

Yesterday I spent a lovely afternoon with my sister.

She and her husband came to see me.  We don't often get to spend time with each other, so this was particularly fun for me.

My sister and her family have lived for years on the family farm, which is a hog raising operation, in the southern part of the state.  My brother-in-law took over the farm from his father and has now passed it on to his son.  I like that the farm has stayed in the family all these years, rather than being sold to a corporation as so many here have.

They brought presents.  There was a box filled with pork from their farm - ham and sausage and bacon and a roast and chops.  I thawed a package of sausage links and shared them with Duane for breakfast this morning.  He said that was the best tasting sausage he had ever eaten.  He was right.

And there were tomatoes fresh from my sister's garden.  I sliced one for breakfast and have been nibbling on the cherry tomatoes all day.  Delicious.

We got each other caught up on what our kids and grands had been doing and we talked of the past.  Some memories were shared by both of us and others were new to one or the other of us.  We talked of our parents and aunts and uncles, all gone now.  They and their stories live only in our memories, which, we decided, weren't all that great any more.  We need to write the stories down, but it is doubtful they would be of any interest to the younger generation.

I knew they needed to get back home, but I was sorry to see them leave.  It was a truly nice afternoon.

I am adding some pictures here.  My sister says she reads this blog, so she should see these and hopefully remember.  She is five years younger than me and is the cute blondie in the photos.

I think this is my favorite picture of me and my sister.

There were few hills where we lived, so Sister got her snow sled rides by big sister power.

Mother sewed our clothes.  These were Easter dresses.  Mother would have preferred we look like this all the time, but to her chagrin, there were bicycles to ride and mud puddles to splash in and trees to climb.

At Grandma Paul's house with Aunt Margaret's Cocker Spaniel puppies.

This is my favorite photo of my sister.

It is a good thing - spending time with one's sister.

18 comments:

  1. You BOTH should write down your memories. Sometimes interest skips a generation or two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right, Gorges. Too soon we forget. I don't if any of our grands will ever have an interest in family history, but if they do, we should have it ready for them.

      Delete
    2. gorges is right. a grandchild or great grandchild may find your writings one rainy afternoon and enjoy them. or your own kids when they are old and grey. will help them with memory stimulation.

      Delete
    3. deborah...It was late in life when my interest in family history developed. So maybe it will be the same for some of my kids and grands.

      Delete
  2. The younger generation may not care while the older generation is alive, but just let the older generation pass on, and interest will start. Yes, I know lots about my mother's generation. But, now there is no one to ask. Maybe it will be one of your grandchildren who will become interested. I am going to start writing about my life and send it to a select few of my readers. I want it to live on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda...It took me until I was in my early 60's before I became interested in family history, so maybe there is hope someone in the younger generations will pick up where I leave off. I keep working on my genealogy anyway.

      Delete
  3. I was just thinking about this yesterday - sisters. I have one who is a bit, how should I say, conservative and less fun, and one that abandoned our family. So...no sister time for me and it's sort of depressing. No sister fun. Sad and depressing. Maybe one day they'll see the light and join me one day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't give up, Christina. My sister and I have been mostly out of touch for years - until just the past week or two. It is a shame we wasted so much time, but delightful that we still have time with each other. Family is important.

      Delete
  4. So happy for you. Love the photos.

    My aunt was given a 'grandmother's journal' book that contained all kinds of questions about her life and the life of the relatives she remembered. I was fortunate to receive a copy of her response. It's one of my prized possessions. So, long story to encourage you to write up some stories.
    Cheers, SJ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SJ...Old photos are such fun. They bring back lots of memories.

      I have heard about those journals. Sounds like something fun to do. Right now I am working on organizing all the writings of my Grandfather and his brother, both of whom were prolific writers. After that, there are stories I have written that need to be put in some kind of order as well. Since my sister, bless her heart, doesn't do computers well, I am starting another blog to give her easy access to the writings I have collected as well as many photos. That way my kids and grands can see them if they so desire. I already have printed copies of most of them. I am really having fun with this. :)

      Delete
  5. I love those old photos. They look very much like the ones from my childhood. Probably about the same era. Wasn't life better in many ways then? There was such a sense of family for most of us.

    Now that both my parents and beloved aunts and uncles are gone, I realize my foolishness in not asking important questions and learning more about their early lives.

    My daughter is very interested in genealogy and always urges her dad and me to write down stories from our past. I have done some of it, but should do more. You've reminded me of the importance of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mama Pea...I love those old photos, too. The ones I posted are in the 1950's. And I agree that life was better in many ways then. Families got together much more often. We knew all of our cousins because we saw them often. We spent evenings sitting on the porch drinking lemonade and watching the fireflies. And the children played outside after dark without being afraid except for maybe the crazy old lady who lived in the run down house on the corner. :)

      My sister and I were talking about the fact that out of Mother's family of seven and Dad's family of nine, all with spouses, none are left. And our cousins are dying off at an alarming rate. I, too, wish I had spent more time learning about my parent's families.

      Write the stories, Mama Pea, before your memory begins to fade like mine is. My kids and grands aren't really interested in family history now, but it seems that each generation has at least one who will eventually carry on. Since talking with my sister I am back to organizing what I have and writing down what I remember. It is important.

      Delete
  6. Mom i love hearing the stories. Duane

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Son...I'm glad when my children have an interest in our history. I'm putting up another blog for the stories and photos - mostly to make it easier for my sister, who is computer illiterate - to see and read them. I'll let you know when it is up.
      Love, Mom

      Delete
  7. One thing I wish I had from my grandma is a list of the locations of all family was laid to rest.
    I know the location of some, but others I don't and wish I did. My cousin video taped My dad and uncle talking about old times and family. Now my uncle is gone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rob...Give this web site a try. I have found several relative's graves by running a search.
      https://www.findagrave.com/

      I know what you mean. There are so many things I wish I had asked my parents but now it is too late.

      Delete
    2. I did you it to look up some names. My biggest stumbling block is names either first or last names. My biggest fear while living in Fla is lack of intrest by family outside of mine

      Delete
  8. Rob...Seems like there aren't all that many interested in family history any more. I have one or two in my family, but that's all. I just keep plugging away at it in the hope that one day someone in the younger generation will want to know who we are and where we came from.

    ReplyDelete