Tonight I'm going to tell you about a very special person, my Aunt Zora. She was one of the sweetest, kindest, craziest people I ever knew and we all adored her. Aunt Zora was the life of every party and didn't know what it meant to be embarrassed. She was who she was and made no apologies. That made her an amazingly strong woman in my eyes. I miss her terribly and think of her often, wishing I could stop in at her house for a visit and coffee. What I wouldn't give to spend one more afternoon at her kitchen table in San Luis Obispo.
I'm so happy I found this photo. Although it's definitely tattered and torn, I still recognize the faces of my dear aunts and mother. This is also one of only two photographs I have of my Uncle Archie. When I look at my Aunt Zora in this picture, I have to laugh because even as a child, I can see the mischievous aunt I love so much. I can only imagine what she was thinking and saying as she poked her sister and friend in their heads. Aunt Zora was always up to something.
My dad loved Aunt Zora. Finding this picture of the two of them made me laugh remembering a story Aunt Zora loved to tell. I may have some names mixed up but you'll get the gist of it. It seems Aunt Zora and some of her siblings were horsing around on the ranch they grew up on one day. Only this time it wasn't with the actual horses but horsepower. My grandfather wasn't around but there was a car, possibly my dads, I don't remember, at the ranch. My Aunt Zora decided to get in and try to drive which I don't believe was wise considering her age and ability at the time. One thing I do know for sure though, Aunt Zora loved to show off especially if there was an audience and she could make them laugh. I would wager the idea to drive had something to do with showing off and laughing about it. Anyway, in the midst of all the horsing around, Aunt Zora accidentally ran over one of her sisters, maybe Aunt Hazel? I just remember Aunt Zora telling this story more times than I can count and laughing about it. Nobody was seriously hurt and it made for a good story especially as it grew hair through the years. It was absolutely something I would do. Ok, maybe something I actually did do, driving cars when I wasn't supposed to. At least I never ran over any of my sisters. That I know of, anyway.
I loved it when my mother's sisters came to our house. It was always so much fun to see them all together, interacting. My mother, being the amazing cook she was, would prepare favorite meals for her sisters visits. We'd all gather to eat together with so much loud talking and laughing, and enough wine and food to feed a Swiss army. And without fail, no matter where we were or who we were with, as soon as we finished and dishes were being cleared from the table, my Aunt Zora would announce, "I'm as full as a tick!!" Of course, I thought that was hilarious and would egg her on every time as my mother and Aunt Sisi would be cringing and telling her how gross they thought that saying was. It never got old to me. After my Aunt Zora died, I went to see my mother. She was really sad losing her last sibling. It was hard for her to be the only Walter left of their family and it broke my heart for her. I still remember my sisters coming over to my parents and all of us girls taking our mother to Mimi's Cafe for lunch. This was my mother's favorite place to go and we thought it might cheer her to get out with her girls. We had a nice time although I could feel the weight of sadness resting on my mom. As our waitress cleared our dishes and prepared to bring coffee and dessert, I announced a bit louder than planned, "I'm as full as a tick!!" It got very quiet for a moment, followed by laughter and my sister Kelly declaring how disgusting I was. We spent the remainder of our time telling the best Aunt Zora stories we could remember over coffee and dessert. It was a good day.
This was one of our family reunions. These get-togethers when most of the aunts and Uncle Swiss were alive were the best. I can think of one particular party Bob and I hosted at our house when our Swiss cousins came to visit. There was eating, drinking and dancing. Some of that dancing involved Aunt Ruth and Aunt Zora in a trash can. I don't know. The old bats had a few too many and thought it seemed like a good idea at the time. And lord help anyone that tried to leave because the two crazy Walter trashcan girls were going to sing the party pooper song to you, like it or not. Those two were insane and I loved every minute of it. They left some big dancing shoes to fill and we're doing our best to fill them and embarrass our children every chance we get. So far, so good.
2 comments:
Great story! Is it one of these aunts that had all of the flannel nightgowns that you loved so much?
That was my Aunt Meta that had the wonderfully worn flannel nightgowns. I loved wearing them when I was younger. Such a special memory. Thanks for the reminder!
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