Aunt Nancy

She died recently after a battle with cancer. She was just one of the many very strong women in my family. There were times I didn't really like her, and others where she was amazing. She was definitely the most perfect perfectionist I ever knew. She had tremendous tragedies in her life: her husband, very ill with kidney disease died too young; her oldest daughter, Anne, died very tragically after child birth at age 33; Elizabeth died at 29 from an asthma attack, and Bruce, her second son died at age 50. All of these happened in the last 15 years or so.

When I think of her I don't just think of her tragedies. I also think of her house. High on a hill in a posh neighborhood on the "Main Line" near Philadelphia. Stone and clapboard, colonial style. The driveway was awful. Steep and twisty and dangerous to navigate, either on foot or by car.

Here are random memories: tuna casserole with potato chips on it; Jesus Christ Superstar album and singing along to "What's the Buzz?" Thanksgiving at grandmas and our family had to clean up after hers, grandma's idealization of her and her kids, her dimples, her laugh, her blonde hair, her calling my dad Bobby all the time, the way she adored her kids and was very affectionate, and many memories of paling around with Elizabeth....and Anne - she hated when we called her Orphan Annie.

nuttin to say

School sucks the life out of me and so I find I have nothing worthy of a blog post to say. Maybe I am judging to harshly....hmmm.

My house is a disaster. So, I am planning a day out today. Ha!
Scott made delicious tacos last night.
I had mango salsa and it was fabulous!
We might get snow this week....I love a snow day!
Scott gets to take off some time after Christmas so we might use our time-share sampler.
He is snoring so loud right now that the house is vibrating.

I've been taking pottery classes, but they are not really classes - more like studio time in a kids' pottery place. I want to take real classes because I like the feel of the clay. I have no real talent at throwing, but I like the process. If all I make are wobbly bowls, that is fineby me. You can never have enough of those. And, since we are broke (as usual) that is what I will give as presents this year.

I told my students that I only wanted pencils if they got me any gifts. Pencils...or starbucks cards! I am evil. Most of my kids are poor so I usually get homemade cards which are the best gifts of all. And hugs....I get a lot of those.

I was absent two days last week for my aunt's funeral (there is a blog topic right there) and I got emails from my kids, and sighs of relief when I appeared on Wednesday.....that was great.

ok, I will formulate a blog about my aunt. stay tuned.