When I was a child, I loved letters. Great Aunt Anna was in her late 80s when we began writing to each other. I'm not sure what she thought about my attempts, but I remember how exciting it was to walk up the hill to the mailbox and find one of her letters inside, addressed to me!
One summer afternoon when I was about 7, we had a coffee party for Aunt Anna, Aunt Selma, and Almeda. My favorite photo from that day shows what good sports they were: we're all standing in front of the lilac bushes holding kittens.
A year or so later, Anna and Almeda moved permanently from their house in Michigan, ND. Mom and I went to see them while they were sorting and packing, and I found a treasure -- hats! Anna let me put two or three on her head to see which looked best, then said the magic words: I could pick one and take it home!
Anna and Almeda lived at the top of a long flight of stairs at 1021 Broadway in Fargo. Inside their apartment, it was bright with sunlight and plants. Every visitor drank coffee from a china cup, ate cookies on plates with a history.
Twenty-one years old when the 20th century began, Anna faced the disruption and excitement of the decades with humor and grit.
Happy Birthday Anna!
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1 comment:
Happy Birthday, Anna! I remember when they moved, because we got the round dining table Iver had made, complete with carved feet and enough leaves to expand it to seat 12. In addition, she selected something for each of us to have as a memento of her. If there was ever anyone for whom Valentine's Day was an appropriate birthday, it was Anna.
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