She was the eldest sister of dad’s side of the family. She was kind, compassionate and had rheumatoid arthritis. Her demeanor was sweet, with a smile on her face whenever you looked. Her hair was as abundant as her generous spirit. She was an amazing woman.
What I remember about my visits to Aunty Louise was that her floors were always gleaming. She would get on her twisted hands and knees and polish it to a high gloss. Everything was so clean and cared for in her home. She had lots of porcelain statues, fancy ladies and gentleman in ballroom attire posed for dancing, beautiful woman with bouffant hair and graceful arms adorned with puff sleeves, queenly, carefully crafted flowers on a long delicate branch, and all of that fed my imagination about a world I would love to belong to. Her lamps were usually gilded with gold handles, and pretty flowers painted on porcelain. The lamp shades were always fringed with gold braid or fringe. So much there was to look at and take in. Her husband, Uncle Earnest, was a tall, large built man. He looked weathered and never said two words. He was the quietist man I have encountered. We looked forward to the treats Aunty Louise would set before us. She was always giving us a bag of clothes to take home. She had two daughters whom she was close to. Her grandchildren, especially Judy practically grew up in her house. I remember that Shirley was smart and big hearted and Eva was so tall and pretty with a Princess Dianna smile. It seemed a happy house with love floating around the knick knacks she had everywhere. Back then they called it parlors, where the adults would sit and discuss the comings and goings of life. I would listen to them refer to their aches and pains and laugh at such boring conversations. I have come to believe that is kind of a sign post when you are old; talking about your aches and pains.
Aunty Louise was always kind to us at Christmas. I particularly remember her putting stickers on our presents that would say No Peeking. I marveled at how she knew that’s just what I wanted to do.
We were blessed with kind Aunts, Louise, Eva and Irene. Our fathers’ brother George was also a special person in our life. I will write about him as well. Let us not forget those who painted our childhood with such warm colors.
Louise and Earnest were such opposites. As you said she was very clean and orderly while he was a hoarder. Tons and tons of car parts and bicycle parts. He gave me my first tricycle made up of several others. What also was great about going to Aunties was running down to the pickle factory and eating samples. I still have an addiction to those pickles.
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