Happy Birthday Ann Dec 1 2012

 



I'm sure this picture has been posted before, but here it is again.  The interesting components of this picture are (a) baby Ann, (b) Mother, (c) surely one of the most curious cats ever who was clearly wondering what was going on here, and (d) the family wash tub bath tub hanging on the front of (e) the cellar.  Did Elna take this picture?  Or Dad?  Mother didn't have a camera the rest of her life after her precious Kodak was lost or stolen one year at the Cody Stampede, thus we were without family pictures until we got Baby Brownies.  Elna must have brought a camera?

 

Here are some little known facts about Annie:

1. Ann is addicted to infomercials and kitchen doodads.  The mere mention of a new doodad sends all of her siblings to the store (except Judy) to buy whatever new doodad Ann is trying.  Judy thinks I am gullible, so my new policy is to wait 2 years and see if Ann is (a) still using whatever she bought, (b) if it is still working, and (c) if it has been taken to DI or to the basement store room.  The last thing I fell into was the nucular salt and pepper shakers, which cost 29 bucks.  Imagine my dismay when I discovered this fall that Ann's nucular matched set had been discarded.  In fact, one of them got broken.  Who by? I asked.  By Paul, Ann said.  So after paying $20 for batteries to power my nucular shakers, I instead bought a new Tellicherry pepper grinder and a new sea salt grinder from Costco for 5 bucks each and, instead of having them powered nucularly, I merely give them a quick twist and Voila! I have pepper and sea salt and I don't have to buy any more batteries.
2. With no experience and without a bachelor's degree in agriculture from the University of Wyoming, Ann is raising eggs for $20 a dozen. 
3. Ann is perpetually busy finding new handyman construction projects for Paul.
4. I have been trying to figure out what Ann is so busy at, but then she lives a stone's throw from Costco.  I don't know how much stuff she just makes up.
5. Ann has hidden treasures of family knowledge which she has squirreled away and periodically sticks one on our family blog.

Here are some well known facts about Annie:

 

1. Ann will cheer you up on the most dismal day, her infectious laugh and great glee over questionable humor making the phone call worth while.
2. Ann has studied every known cure for every malady extensively on the internet.
3. Ann is a good source of information that I can pry out of her and then surprise the other sisters that I know stuff they never heard of.  "Well, she never told me that," I huffily hear periodically. 
4. Ann has the patience of Job, the optimism of Adam and Eve getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and the perseverance and bravery that have carried her through some dark and dismal days.  You can always count on a smile and a laugh.
5. Ann is a genius when it comes to figuring out stuff and patiently explaining it to the rest of us.

So now you are informed about our sister.  I left home when she was still very young, and through all of those years I wandered I knew she was there somewhere.  But only in recent years when we have all had a bit more time to spend sharing our nonsense, wisdom, and extensive knowledge, have I come to more seriously appreciate the fact that Ann is a very smart and talented person.  I should have given her more credit for this when she was little and always running to Mother when I was bugging (entertaining?) her.  But now I see the light.  And the laughter she leaves with me makes my phone call always worthwhile and echoes awhile longer.  Happy Birthday.  Stretch out the day as long as possible, days, because after it is over no one will basically care for another year.  Love, D.