Here is an absolute flash from the past.  This is a photo of my sister and I on the night of my senior prom (June of 1976).  My sister was a sophmore. 

It's interesting to me that we chose dresses of the same color but very different styles.  That year prairie style clothes were big.  Big sleeves, long full skirts with big ruffles, western style shirts (and lots of polyester).

I was showing my niece that she really does look like her Aunt Sandy (whom she has never met).  I always thought my sister was "the pretty one".  My father did too, evidently, since I remember him saying that at least I had a good brain......It's hard to grow up with a positive self image when the people whose opinions you value most don't support it.  I told Maggie (my niece) that she was lucky because her Aunt Sandy was beautiful and so is she. 

I don't have many photos of my sister and not one where she is smiling.  That is not something she did very often in my presence.  For some reason she really resented me and we have never had much of a relationship.  At this point, we haven't spoken for over 10 years.  Sad?  Yes. But honestly, there are no fond childhood memories of a time when we liked each other to long for so it's really not that awful.  People who have good times with their sisters don't get it (and I am envious of them).

Fortunately, I have my brother and we are close so I am not bereft of family.  And of course, I have my Peter Kevin (who tells me often that I am beautiful and greets me every day with "hello Beautiful") and my girls.  I am content.

The cucumber plants continue to produce their little hearts out.  Look at the size of this one!  It's big and fat and will make some wonderful pickle spears.  We are going to make sure we have the ingredients and make some dill and bread and butter pickles this weekend.  I have room in the fridge so we'll make refrigerator pickles.  Our canning pot has seem better days and we'd need to buy another one.  We don't have enough produce to make a big production out of this.  Just a few jars.

I am surrounded by blooming trees (why can't they all bloom at once and get it over with?).  Their pollen really sets off my allergies and my sinuses are letting me know they are not happy.  I don't feel sick, just very snotty.  Grass and tree pollen are my particular bugaboos.  Flowers can make me sneeze but not like this.  All the rain we had encouraged everything to just grow and grow and reproduce and reproduce.  I know it's a biological imperative but really, what do these trees think is going to happen with all the seedlings they are trying to produce?  They are surrounded by sidewalk here in the city (and we don't allow them to just grow willy nilly at home). They must feel heavy duty frustration. 

 

One more old time photo.  This is my brother around age 6.  The family was at Six Gun Territory in Florida and I wanted a photo of Rick with a cowboy.  It was pouring rain all day and puddles were everywhere.

This amazing man gave Rick his gun and lay down in the middle of the very wet gravel road for a photo.  This was the days of film cameras and waiting for your photos to develop so I had no idea if the picture was any good.

Turns out, it's one of my favorites.  And I just learned, it's one of my brother's favorites so I am going to scan it and copy it for him. 

Gotta say, I love my digital photography capabilities, but there was something fun about getting that film envelope and not being sure what the pictures would look like.  It was like a present.

This is a grocery shopping weekend and Pk will have a ton of work to do (Work work--not house work).  I'm planning a pedicure and doing my roots and other general physical maintenance.  And I'm going to make a pair of mitts for one of his favorite coworkers who coaches girls sports at a local college.  And I have to find time to shop for a dress for The Wedding (I am relieved to be done with Em's dress, though). 

Busy, busy.  You?