Backward Thinking . . . or Remembering

Ever had one of those periods when you start thinking of things that have happened in the past, your mind kinda gets stuck there and one thought reminds you of another? That's where my head's been lately.

It probably started with my brother and sister's-in-law wedding anniversary this past week. Other than a short wish in an e-mail, I didn't properly wish them a Happy Anniversary of that event thirty-seven years ago. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY (now belated), J and L! May you have many, many more!

What do I remember about that day? July 22nd in sultry, steamy, humid Illinois summer time? Hot, hot, and HOT! If I recall correctly my sister-in-law was upset that the hot, humid weather was making her hair curl in (what I thought were lovely) tendrils around her beautiful, beaming face. The same conditions were giving my carefully coiffed hair a decidedly straight, flat, bedraggled look around my sweating face.

My wedding outfit was a white and black skirt with a long sleeved, black silk crepe blouse. What was I thinking? Long sleeves? Silk crepe? Black, for heaven's sake, on July 22^nd?

Today is the 35th birthday of same brother and sister's-in-law eldest son. What a handsome guy he is. He looks just like his mother . . . minus the lovely, curling tendrils around his face. He got the straight-as-a-poker hair from his dad's side of the family.

Thinking of the hot summer weather in Illinois brought back a memory of when my mom was visiting us before the birth of our daughter. The time was end of April/first of May and Mom asked what she could get me for my birthday. I was 6-7 months pregnant and said I didn't have a dress that fit my bulging figure and since the weather was already turning warm, something cool, loose and flowing sounded appealing to me.

We took an afternoon to go shopping and quickly found a dress I liked. It was a print with small flowers, short puffed sleeves and scooped neck. It wasn't actually a maternity dress but had an empire waist that hit just below the bust line and fell loosely from there.

As I modeled it in front of the full-length mirror with my mom and the sales lady looking on, I smoothed it down and remarked that I thought it was flattering . . . I didn't even look pregnant in it. The sales lady nodded in agreement and said, "Oh, yes, that dress will cover a multitude of sins.”

As soon as the words were out, her eyes went wide, her face turned red, and her hand flew up to her mouth. Poor lady was to-tally mortified. But then Mom and I burst out laughing and after sputtering several apologies, with our assurance that they weren't necessary, she recovered.

Illinois summers when you took a shower in the middle of the day just to try to cool off. (This, obviously, was before air conditioning was commonplace in every home.) I can remember getting out of the cool, refreshing shower, trying to towel dry but being unable to do so because of the terrible humidity. Ugh. Don't miss that one bit.

I suppose subconsciously I've been thinking about these memories associated with hot, summer weather because of our non-summer in northern Minnesota this year.

All this reminiscing makes me realize that even if I can't grow corn or tomatoes (or my beloved eggplants), I'm happier (and so much more comfortable!) with the cooler climate we live in now.