April 27, 2021
On Sunday afternoon, April 25, 2021, I visited Phyllis Gannon, expecting to see her daughter, Monica Tenorio of Amarillo, TX, since Phyllis had told me of her plans to visit. When I opened the door, the kitchen table was piled high with food and the other daughters were there, also. Mary Swecker drove from Dalhart, Texas, Jackie Blanshan from Cedar Falls and Jenny Boston from Runnells, had gathered for a special time to be together with their mom. There was plenty of reminiscing about school days, and sharing children and grandchildren stories! It was a fun afternoon to listen to the banter around that round table in the kitchen that has served as the hub of that household for so many years.
A couple weeks ago, I gathered all the quilting material that I had gathered while cleaning upstairs. I put them in the car, knowing at some point I would deliver the sacks to their new home. After I left the Gannon household, I took a chance that Iva Jo Muir would be home, knowing she would find some use for the material. We, too, enjoyed a face to face visit, and when Kayla’s friend Joe came to give his graduation invitation to Iva Jo, he sat down and visited for a while. Cows, birthing, bottle feeding calves stories was a topic that had no generational gap in the conversation!
Earlier in the week I was able to visit face to face Connie Neese and Eva Marie Coon at Long Term. That was a treat for me, even though I set off an alarm on Connie’s bed. I got a quick lesson on which button to push and decided that standing, rather than sitting on the bed, would be a better solution! Eve, being a Rippey graduate, asked about a classmate, and I was glad I could answer. I will be better prepared on my next visit, about the rest of her class. It was a good week.
-Jean Borgeson