Auntie Rose of Sharon

Today when I opened our Post Office Box, out slipped a hand-written note (oh be still my heart!) with a familiar address sporting the colorful, coffee themed return-address label.

I smiled, closed the door, turned the key and headed home to savor my letter.

I like cards in the mail, and I love when they are from her.

"She" is my Aunt Sharon, or, as I've lovingly called her for years, "Auntie Rose-of-Sharon".

(If you are a follower of my mom's blog, she is the wife of my mom's uncle of whose pictures often grace her posts. So technically, she is my 'Great Aunt', but I've never been big on technicalities).

The card featured a 'vintage' picture (below) on it's cover and inside she wrote:

Dear Jeane`,

Greetings!

I want to thank you for your "recent" post on the extinction of ice blue eye shadow.

Sad to say, that shade was still a very active part of my eye makeup. BUT, no longer...

I scurried to Wal-Mart and now am sporting a three-toned soft pink, etc. Again...thank you...

Love & prayers,

Auntie Sharon

Oh, dearest Great-Auntie of mine, did you not know? Have you not heard? Blue has been out and back, out and now back again!! You did not have to banish it forever...it's still here, but perhaps it's encouraged to go on with a tad more subtly than was popular in the eighties. Either way--you are beautiful as you are, sea blue or barely-there pink--it matters not!

This lovely lady has been spreading sunshine since she was brought into this world. She is the one that introduced me to Eugenia Price and a myriad of other great novelists..lending me books throughout the summers of my youth. We were (probably still are!) speed readers and loved a plot we couldn't figure out (and a good love story didn't hurt either!).
She is an amazingly talented needleworker, and tried her darndest to teach me how, but my cross stitch kit still lies dormat with only half of the bunny's body stitched into the fabric. The Philadelphia Phillies should recognize her loyal fanhood and the town she lives in should erect a statuette of her in gratitude for the light she radiates within it. While she is not the loud and boisterous type (except when, perhaps, rooting for her Phils), she is a ball of fun to play pranks on have fun with!!

On one occasion, I purchased 4 rather large panties from a local Amish dry-goods store. (See above picture for reference. I kept the fourth one and have it to this day, saving it for someone/thing special). At the time, the church my Uncle and Aunt had attended was nearly in their backyard. Aunt Sharon (& co.)  usually walked home from church, and those who left it's parking lot by car would drive right past their backyard. One sunny, breezy, Spring-time Sunday I left my own church early, panties in tow and headed to her backyard. As quickly as I could, I took the clothespins from my purse and proceeded to grace my Auntie's clothes line with three of these generous pastel beauties, so that all her church-going friends passing by her house could admire "her" lingerie flapping in the wind. (Did I mention Aunt Sharon is a very, very petite woman??).

Oh, how fun it can be to tap into one's nixy -a PA Dutch term for "mischievous"- side!!!!

(By the way, she did repay me. When I was working at a Hilton hotel, a package came to me, and everyone at the front desk was anxious to see what I had received...and so I, being the sanguine personality I am, gladly unraveled my mystery gift in front of the awaiting crowd. Alas...someone had 'regifted' a pastel panty just for me!. She also sent me a small kitchen strainer with a 'get well' card while I was waiting to pass a kidney stone. That's just the kind of person she is. Ever so thoughtful!!!).


Life has those people in it that just make a day sunnier...even when there's not a ray in sight!
Thank you, Auntie Rose-of-Sharon, for being one of those! (and you should know that I happen to like the fact that you don't know how to comment on my blog...because it results in the occassional 'it was so worth it' type of run into the Post Office!)