Why Have I Been Missing From This Blog?

There are many reasons:

I have been purging and selling some things on eBay.

I had company for a week.

I lost a dear friend in Florida.

I decided to sell some of my vintage fashion patterns, books and magazines on eBay.

Since eBay allowed me to sell as many things as I could this week I’ve been very busy listing (and sending out the sold items).

My friend Shelley arrived about a week ago.

Shelley had moved to Michigan and came back to our area to see many friends and relatives. My instructions to her were to use my house as a motel and come and go as she pleased. That worked well for both of us and it also gave us plenty of time to catch up. She also is a fabulous cook and cooked more meals than I did while she was here. The perfect houseguest.

 

Our dear friend Ralph Antes passed away last Sunday. He and his wife Jean were the first people we met when we moved back to Wisconsin almost 48 years ago. We now live within 6 miles of each other in Florida. When we built our house in Wisconsin Ralph and Jerry spent their summer literally building the entire house. When we needed extra help Ralph always found volunteers among our friends.  I took this picture at one of our Kentucky Derby parties in Florida 2 or 3 years ago.

Jean and Ralph had a real knack for making everyone feel welcome. You could not find two finer people anywhere.

RIP dear friend, I will miss you.