Remembering The Past

This is how I like to remember the kids during our time in California. The four sisters were alike in some ways, but each had her own personality and temperment. Jennifer (daughter 1) was the oldest and definitely the boss. She was the organizer who initiated and controlled most activities from "Dogs shall be dogs" to turning my pickup truck into a swimming pool. The pool was ingenious. She lined the bed with a tarp and then filled it with water. The fact that my shocks and suspension were flattened to the axel didn't stop the fun.

Jill (daughter 2) was the sheriff. She monitored all illegal activity and made sure there were no violations. If you were not supposed to be on the grass, then you could count on Jill making sure that we all stayed off the grass. She was also the "worker" in the family and any time I had a job to do in the yard or running an errand, she was the one who would help.

Joanna (daughter 3) was the mediator and the sensitive one. Whenever there were arguments and conflicts, you could count on her to try and smooth things out. Her emotions were indicative of her concern for eveyone's feelings. A funny thing happened to me when I first grew a beard when Joanna was young. My beard was starting to turn gray in places and she was with me at a gas station one day when the attendant asked me if that was my granddaughter. I immediately shaved the beard. Today my beard is all gray and I don't care anymore.

Jean (daughter 4) was the spoiled one. Everyone babied her and doted on her. This led to her having a somewhat inflated opinion of herself. She would seriously tell you that she was just a little prettier than her sisters. A funny thing happened on one of her birthdays. Her grandfather wrote her a check as a present and mistakenly wrote her a check for the balance that was in his checkbook (not the usual $50). When Jean saw the check for over $150, she said "Wow, Papa must really love me!"

The picture is the way I like to remember that time.......