Kitchens and Cards

While talking to Rachel on Friday, I was reminded of a wonderful childhood memory. Rachel was talking about playing rummy with Chris' sister and some of her friends and how much fun she had. I haven't played rummy in years, but there was a time that I couldn't get enough of it. My Aunt Gladys used to come down from Steele, Missouri for long visits and with her came her Pepsis, her cigarettes and her love for playing gin rummy. This photo I found recently shows me likely trying to get the art of shuffling cards like she did. My dad was such a sweetie that he finally bought me one of those automatic shufflers where you put half the cards on two separate shelves and turn a handle and the cards were magically shuffled!

My aunt had the patience of Job, I suppose, looking back on things. She would play cards for HOURS with me and any random cousins that happened to also be visiting. She smoked so much she would light a cigarette sometimes while she had one already lit in the ashtray. She was my mother's older sister. A big ole gal with a deep raspy voice and big laugh. She was pretty bossy and I think would annoy my mom as big sisters typically do by trying to rearrange her kitchen cabinets and tell her how to raise her children and do her laundry. She would always "tear the paper top" off of the coffee-mate creamer and that would drive my dad crazy. He was a big fan of hers though and they teased each other to her final days. Such fun memories in a kitchen that was full of good smells and great food. My mom was always cooking and baking something. I wonder what my children will remember about our kitchen. It's funny that I'm thinking about this right now when we are making this complete overhaul after 16 years of it looking the same way. I guess it's not so much about how it looks as it is about the people in it and who stops to play cards with a child or bake cookies to make the whole house smell good....that can come from any kitchen that looks like anything!

And by the way...did you catch that great early morning hair on that child???