The old joke says…The mind is the first thing to go, but I can’t remember the second thing. Well, I found out on this sisters day. It’s comprehension!

Since Lucy moved to Wardsville, we ride together when the gathering is held in the Vienna area. Lucy and I were talking on the phone making plans for our trip down south. We set at time to go and on Tuesday morning I showed up at Lucy’s about 10 minutes to 7. “Oh” she said, “You got going early today.” Well, you said to come between 6:30 and 7 I reminded her. “No, I said between 7:30 and 8,” Lucy replied. Lucy was ready so we left for Mary Jo’s. We arrived at 10 minutes to 8. Were we too early? Mary Jo hadn’t even started the coffee, but she had my tea made. True to form we promptly started visiting and didn’t slow down until the end of the day.

Those present were Lucy Branson, Mary Jo Crider, our hostess, Shirley Huffman, Linda Crider (me), Susie Kleffner and Pam Hale who arrived about half way between breakfast and lunch. We didn’t give her a tardy slip because she had an acceptable excuse.

As Mary Jo put the finishing touches on breakfast, we began our exchange of information. In other words, “Let the chattering begin.” Shirley’s granddaughter, Hayley, has got a new job, big promotion and higher pay. You go girl! Her grandson Ezra has completed his assignment in Oregon and is now back in California. The three preemie babies are growing like weeds and have all about caught up to full term size. Susie’s grandkids know where Grandpa’s snacks are hidden and saw nothing wrong with helping themselves. He just grinned at her when she called him on it.

We talked about freezing potatoes? Sure, you can. Raw or cooked? Cooked, didn’t you use frozen hash browns for this casserole? I freeze mashed potatoes all the time said Shirley. Really, don’t they get mealy? Mine don’t. I’m going to give it a try.

We talked about being so stiff and sore when we wake up or if we sit too long. Just get up and move, you’ll feel better fast. It is just so hard to work through the pain but necessary if you want to be able to move tomorrow.

Some types of Yoga are good ways to stay active. Not the putting your feet on your knees, touching your fingers together and going Umm. It’s more the stretching and bending kind. Did you know that some types of the other kinds of yoga were not to be used by Catholics? There are kinds that were thought to border on the dark arts. That is why it has so many different names today. However, most kinds used today are okay, even helpful for most people.

Breakfast was now on the table and we were all seated with our coffee and tea. Breakfast consisted of a hash brown casserole, yummy, hot biscuits with butter, strawberry jam and blackberry jelly, and cantaloupe. It was a delicious way to start the day.

We talked about the Gabriel House at Guardian Angel parish in Brinktown. It is not being used to its full potential. We discussed possible uses for the building and also some of the possible problems they might cause.

Mary Jo had told us to bring something to do because she didn’t have a project. As it turned out her granddaughter, Maggie, was going to bring a project and dessert for lunch but she got quarantined for the fourth or fifth time. One of the teachers at Helias High School test positive for Covid-19 even though they all got their vaccination for the disease. Maggie had worked with him on Friday night at a karaoke event and wouldn’t be released until later in the week.

Lucy sent five of her quilts to Idaho for her kids up there. One down here called her and told her they found a box in the shed at her trailer with two quilts in it. She was really confused because they were two, she thought she had sent to Idaho. So, she calls them and they said she had sent them five and they loved them each of them got the one they wanted.

Shirley pulled out her needle book, that her friend made for her. It was so cute and really functional. It was three inches square when closed. It was made with two log cabin quilt blocks on the outside and felt on the inside to hold your needles. Shirley was using her embroidery needles which she carried with her work. She likes to embroidery while listening to music at the bluegrass festivals.

We discussed the cost of making a quilt especially now that people are wanting quilts so big. Mary Jo worked on a quilt that measured 115” square. We talked about setting quilts blocks together and how difficult it can be with some of the new patterns. The trend now is making a block, then cutting it up a specific way then sewing the block back together. Mary Jo is currently making one that has to be set and cut and reset at least four times. Pam and a friend that like to sew and quilt together. Her friend had been shown how to set a block together by another friend of hers, but when she set it together it wouldn’t look right so Pam brought the problem to her quilting Aunts. After Mary Jo got her pattern out and showed it to us, Pam spotted the problem. You have to measure from the middle of the block and they were measuring from the outside each. Problem solved.

Mary Jo had some wonderful Overall Sam and Sunbonnet Sue blocks that need a little finishing work and set together. Plus, some blocks with big skirts and umbrellas. I can’t think of the name of that block but they were adorable. They were all very old and the lady who started them passed away leaving them unfinished. Her daughters were cleaning out her house and didn’t know what to do with them. They were going to throw them out so Mary Jo saved them.

We talked about going with your husband to the doctor to make sure all necessary information gets passed on and to make sure all questions are answered correctly.

Weddings are really different today than what they were when the sisters were getting married. We have two coming up soon, Pam’s grandson and Shirley’s grandson.

If you remember from last month, Shirley took three pots of flowers from Lucy’s place to her house because her neighbor complained that she had too much stuff out in front of her apartment. Shirley took them to her house and put them on the edge of her porch. Bob, her husband, seeded a spot in the front yard and put the sprinkler on it. He left the sprinkler on all night and had set it up so it hit the edge of the porch. Yes, you guessed it. When Shirley went out to see if her flowers needed watering they were floating in the pots. She drained them as best she could and said a prayer they would survive.

Lunch time arrived. We put away our sewing and gathered around the table. A table full of BBQ short ribs, potato salad and lettuce salad. The ribs were smoked by her son Joe and smothered in BBQ sauces. The only thing that could have made them better was if we were sitting out under a tree at a picnic table. But it wouldn’t make them taste any better so we just ate at the table in the air-conditioned kitchen. Just when we thought we couldn’t eat any more out came the Jello cake—white cake with strawberry jello. It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

During and after lunch we continued our discussion.

We talked about kids coming at the planned time instead of two hours later. How we dislike driving in Columbia and through the roundabouts and driving in really big cites like Dallas and Kansas City.

Different kinds of sewing machines. How one kind seems perfect to one of us and a different kind works better for another.

How we worry when the kids start out on their own. How we worry and how they do just fine and we know they will, but we worry anyway.

GPS isn’t all its cracked up to be. It has sent some of us the longest and worst way or even to places the no longer exist.

I like to buy books and notions for quilting. It seems that every quilt pattern has a rule made just for it. The trouble is they each cost a fortune. I also like to buy fabric.

The day was happy and delicious and we all enjoyed it. But all good things come to an end so went our separate ways, looking forward to the next one.