I haven’t posted to this blog in almost three years, but I recently received an email from a high school classmate, asking for life updates since, due to the coronavirus, we can’t hold a class reunion. Here’s what I wrote:
How can it be 60 years since that senior party up at the lake, where I got in so much trouble? Or that time I stuck up for Dorothy Porterfield in Speech class and the teacher got so mad she walked out and didn’t come back for three days? That teacher kept me out of the National Honor Society because of that. Seems like weeks ago, not years.
Anyway, my husband, Ron, and I have lived in the southeastern part of the Phoenix metro area, in Queen Creek, for the past 20 years. We happily left the cold, snow, humidity, traffic, and crowds of the east coast for the adobe walls, saguaro cactus, tacos and enchiladas of the Sonoran desert. Eventually, all the children followed us as they, too, got tired of scraping ice off the windshields.
As the years went by, five grandchildren appeared, three boys and two girls, and now all but one of them has graduated from high school. One of my children obtained a Ph.D. In Biochemistry, one became a nurse specializing in head trauma, and the other is about to retire from 30 years of teaching and coaching.
Now, Ron and I are busier than ever, working on our “senior” careers. He makes Adirondack chairs, footstools, and tables and has sold over 300 since he first made one for our house 5 years ago. I have an Etsy shop, Santanartist Silks, where I sell my hand-dyed silk scarves and fabric.
Our daughter also owns and breeds Arabian horses, and we are barn assistants, hay distributors, and manure techs. The Scottsdale Arabian Show, held for two weeks in February, was one of the rewards of moving near Scottsdale. We love being part of the Arabian community here and working to promote the breed. My favorite time of the year is April when the babies are born and being able to watch them begin their life journey. I am determined to see 22 more foal crops!
Happy to hear all of you still above ground. Keep moving, and learn something new every day,
