Jack

Jack

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to my family! That's me on the bottom left of the picture...



My Dad (in the center)--taught me so many things I can't list them all...how to REALLY grow things and care for the earth, how to care for all kinds of animals, how to do all those things that most girls CAN'T do like refinish a table, change a tire and butcher a chicken or rabbit, and how he used to sneak us out of school once in a while to spend the day with him on his work route, LONG before there was such a thing as 'Take Your Daughter To Work Day'.

My Mom (next to Dad)--was our Girl Scout leader for the entire long haul, Brownies through Juniors, took us camping, helped us earn our badges, taught us how to cook, sew, can fruit, vegetables and preserves, and always carries herself with beauty, grace, poise and ease as a simple, quiet example of how a true lady should be. She's a tiny 5 foot thing, but once grabbed up a 2x4 and chased away a group of teenagers who were terrorizing our Girl Scout troop during a late night campout.

My sister B.(top left)--an expert seamstress, cook, and anything else she tries her hand at, sewed my sister K. and I tons of Barbie clothes and made us Barbie furniture that was the envy of the neighborhood. Always kind, elegant and beautiful, with a big heart and a home open to everyone, people naturally just flock to her, her home has become our family gathering spot.

My sister C.(top right)--taught us kids the finer points of Halloween mayhem, soaping windows and smearing peanut butter in screens, would tickle us mercilessly and made us learn NEVER to allow her to be banker at Monopoly, can make us laugh till we cry just by telling a story, was a guaranteed great time and grand adventure whenever she'd say, "Let's just go for a drive!"

My sister K.(bottom center)--taught me how to ride a horse, but NOT before I learned all about them and how to care for them properly, my playmate, and, along with my brother, my co-conspirator in all those childhood adventures. Generous to a fault and absolutely fearless, there is simply nothing she can't do.

My brother P. (bottom right)--from him I learned a truly wicked sidearm throw and other baseball skills, he continues to provide a shining example of wit mixed with cleverness, heart and brains. The leader of our childhood pack, he continues to be a leader as an adult, a fantastic example of a man and parent, and the life of the party.

I hope everyone is lucky enough to have gathered about them a family as wonderful as mine. I look forward to the coming years, as MY daughter gets to grow up and enjoy and discover all of these wonderful people and the family stories we tell, plus our extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins.

I love you all.

4 comments:

  1. From my brother:
    Thank you! Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, oh sister who used to help me tell stories at the dinner table by singing the counterpoint and chorus to all of our best choir stories, (Dad: "NO SINGING AT THE DINNER TABLE, DAMMIT!") and who kept a straight face through all of our elaborate blame-shifting rituals... (Mom: "How did spaghetti get on the ceiling?"... "Gee, mom, we don't know!"

    We look really young in that photo...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't forget the almost instantaneous follow-up rule: "No singing while doing the dishes!"

      We've had to institute the 'No singing during dinner' rule here at our house, too, sad to say... :(

      Don't forget letting the basset hound in and getting her to chase one of us around and around the house (because we were clutching a slice of American cheese) while one of the other kids laid down in a doorway so that the dog would have to LEAP over them... :) All while the parents weren't home, naturally...

      If our parents had only known some of the things we did, they never would have left the house...

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  2. From my sister:
    Hmmm, I just want to know why K has the ghostly aura. Is it her predelection for mayhem? Or is she trying to hide the fact that she cut her own hair?

    I love that photo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like the 'predeliction for mayhem' idea, it fits so awfully well... :) Truth be told though, it's just icky flash glare from my camera....

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