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It’s all fun and games until someone gets water squirted in their ears…or in their eyes…or gets dunked or thrown in the pool, but even after all that, we continued to make it fun. It’s what we do.
Gail and her family traveled to Wichita to see her daughter, Kate, and her family this weekend.
“You two should come down,” she said to Suzanne and me. “We could have a pool party.”
It took us the better part of a few seconds to decide to accept her offer. The weather was perfect–except for the wind, of course–and the company, as always, was delightful.
We battled the strong south wind all the way there, while Gail waited patiently for our arrival.
So the fun–and the memories–began.
Our mom, who didn’t know how to swim, insisted that all seven of her children take swimming lessons. She wanted us to be safe in, and enjoy the water because she couldn’t. We are so grateful that she did. We reminisced about the early June mornings in the cool temperatures, shivering in the water in the Osborne swimming pool. We practiced the simple kicking techniques for old times sake, put our faces in and out of the water, turned our heads, blew bubbles and practiced all the strokes. Then we moved on to the advanced tricks.
Gail showed off her perfected cannonball,
And Suzanne can still do a perfect swan dive:
She attempted the Nestea plunge–without the glass of tea in her hand, of course.
I didn’t have any fancy tricks, I was busy focusing on survival:
The hot sun made for a great pool day, and the backyard trees helped block the wind. The day was sheer fun, followed by Kate’s delicious dinner in the evening. Then, as all good things must do, the party came to an end. Suzanne and I hit the road with the wind at our back, sailing easily down the highway home.
It’s always fun to spend time with my sisters, but it’s a bigger bonus to spend time with their children and their families. Kate was a gracious hostess–as always, and so much fun to hang out with.
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I love the hot weather. Call me crazy, but 100-plus temperatures are my favorite. If I hadn’t got sunburned yesterday, I’d be back out there today. The wind, however, as I have made clear many times, is usually a deal-breaker for me. Gail and Suzanne continue to love the wind. I will never understand.
I will add that this weekend’s wind is more tolerable for me because I know it is a blessing for the farmers who are trying to get into the wheat fields after the big rains we have had lately. The heat and wind are drying out the wheat to bring on the harvest. We did see a few combines rolling along the interstate yesterday; they would most likely be done cutting by late June if it were a “normal” weather year.
Our brothers have been harvesting for a few days; they had less rain than southern Kansas lately. I look forward to a day in the harvest field with them soon, I try not to miss this annual farm-girl highlight.
Knowing Gail and Suzanne love the wind, I asked them to offer more specifics about their favorite weather, and this is what I got:
I will give them that. Storms remind me of the divine and infinite wisdom and wonder of our universe, that higher power that put us together in the same family as sisters, just in a different mode.
I’ll take that kind of weather any day of the year.
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The Sister Lode 