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I’m going up north this week to the home of my mom and dad in Schroeder. Even though I moved 37 years ago, it still feels like I belong there. I’m going to visit one of my best friends since kindergarten. She was also the Valedictorian of my graduating class. Thirteen years of bus rides to and from school. Thirteen years of sharing Stephen King novels and the love of reading. Thirteen years of understanding the reference to West. End. Girls. CL loved school and was brilliant in all subjects. What I admired most was she studied very, very hard. She was never one to pretend she was “naturally” smart. She worked for her grades. And she never made me feel “less than” when her scores were better than mine.
In grade school, we were inseparable. Singing songs on the playground, wearing matching jeans jackets, we decorated ourselves. High school was harder to stay connected. I was into student politics, and she was in the honors society. We both found other friends who fit our social needs. But I still loved her sense of humor and her laugh.
It’s amazing to think of, but her dad was also a classmate of my mom. They were both from the class of ‘61, while CL and I were in the class of ‘82. Small towns become generational, with connections repeating themselves over and over. I think you have to live there for quite a while to understand the complex family connections and relationships. Having been in Annandale for 18 years now, I am finally able to figure out who is related to who in some cases, but I think it will take at least ten more years to connect all the dots.
I love having these deep roots to go home to in Schroeder. Memories over half a century old, not to date myself. There is comfort in people knowing you from the day you were born. They know your parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. The stories go on and on. I look forward to seeing CL and sharing our memories of our childhood. One thing I do remember was a challenge we had to perfect scrambled eggs. I think it came from watching Julia Childs one day on PBS Channel 2. Can you believe I always ate my scrambled eggs with ketchup? I haven’t thought of that in years. CL liked to tease me about that. So now I share with you recipes for THE BEST scrambled eggs, with or without ketchup. ~ Peace, Sandy
“Growing older doesn’t change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.”
~ Allie Condie
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