2017 Christmas Letter

She was famous for her stuffed eggs.

She once carried a bucket of berries up a hill, while being chased by hornets, and didn’t spill a single berry.

She attributes her good teeth to having been sick as a child and having to drink goat’s milk.

She started at the Bank of America as a part time typist and retired as a Trust Officer.

She had the greenest thumb of anybody I know–she could make anything grow. Now she waters artificial plants.

She worked the daily crossword puzzle in pen.

She has outlived all nine of her siblings.

She had an amazingly positive outlook on life which has seen her through all the hard times. Now, who knows?

She once ate 12 ears of corn on a bet (or so she told me)

She was a jigsaw puzzle fiend, now she doesn't remember how to do them

She was a really good seamstress, and even learned how to tailor garments.

She read everything from Danielle Steele to Thomas Merton. I gave her our 2-page Christmas letter last week and she said she would read it over the next year.

She gave birth to my sister after only one labor pain ("but it was a doozy," she always said)

She loves being surrounded by flowers, though now they are artificial.

In Germany, she once ordered "white wine with ice" and was served white wine with a scoop of ice cream in it.

She was an avid 49er fan, now she shows no interest.

She has walked out on the beams of a roof to pound nails, when married to her contractor-husband.

She read two newspapers, front to back every day.  Now she has never heard of Donald Trump and has no interest in news of various horrific events, like the fires or earthquakes.

She would always watch golf if Tiger Woods is playing. Now she's never heard of him.

She is a shameless flirt....and at 98, she still is!

She buried a child (my sister) in 1971.

If she belonged to an organization, chances are that at some time she was its treasurer.

One of her best memories as a small child was getting a pair of patent leather shoes for a school play.

At Christmas, she read "A Christmas Carol" to us, over several nights. It’s one of my fondest Christmas memories.

She could not stand to look at George Bush whenever he was on television because he gave her the creeps.  (I wonder what she would say about #45!)

She was the kind of mother who taught you to be competitive by never cheating to let a child win a game.

The first major accident she ever had was breaking her ankle when she was 87.

She once had a severe skin problem on her hands that went mis-diagnosed for years.

She has seen every episode of As Time Goes By so often she could practically recite the lines for you.  Now she has never heard of it, and does not recognize Judi Dench.

She married her soul-mate when she married Fred.

In looking through old photos for this party, I realized that she is almost always smiling that big smile of hers.

She is a person of great love, great energy, and the highest integrity

She was my best friend and though I am so glad to still have her in my life, she is not the friend I remember and I miss that friend very much.