NaBloPoMo Post #23
Letters From My Sister
Have you ever had a metaphysical discussion prompted by the learning of a new word?
Sometimes Barbara likes to share new words with me, like in this letter from November 8 of this year:
"Let us say that the circle below [see image to the left]* is the earth, and that the line across it is the equator. You are here.
"Someone else is standing on the same meridian, but across the equator. At noon, your shadows will fall in opposite directions, which brings me to the point.
"There is a word for that.
"This business of casting shadows in opposite directions is ANTISCIAN, as are the people casting them. (an-TEE-shÓ™n) I am ashamed to confess that I had never felt the need for such a word, but now that I know there is one, I'm glad...."
We have long enjoyed sharing new words with one another, being logophiles of longstanding. Origins of words fascinate us, and because Barbara does not use a computer (more on that in a later post), she has at times sent me a word she has run across that she can't find enough information about the old-fashioned way. Or she'll have me look up the history of various spellings or uses of a word. She keeps me on my toes!
She goes on to say in the letter:
"...I like it better than the more common antipodal, at least metaphorically. Where is the relevance of being poles apart, when you may have been cast there, willy-nilly, by birth, or cataclysm, or some other interpersonal institution? On the other hand, it sounds more meaningful to actively cast your shadow, (vote, influence, evil superpowers, etc.,) in a contrary and perhaps unexpected direction. Of course, that's only my opinion...which doesn't substantially weaken my position."
You should have been around when we used to make up sentences in Latin and mail them to one another for the other to translate! It was a very good practice exercise!
I like it when I get little line drawings from Barbara included in her letters. And I love the cards she makes herself and sends to me. I'll share more of those as well as time goes on.
Well, I guess that's all for now. Shall I add in a bit of personal news? There isn't much, except that Thomas went for a follow up visit, the second since his surgery. The bone is healing and is still aligned right, but the surgeon wants him to stay off work for at least another three weeks, possibly four. {sigh} We are learning what it is going to be like when he retires in a few years.
I'm REALLY enjoying doing NaBloPoMo this year!!
~ ~ Lori
*When quoting a letter, anything I type in brackets [ ] and/or in a different color will denote a personal comment from me. :)
NaBloPoMo Post #20
Letters From My Sister, Part One
The sister nearest to me in age is Barbara; she's six years older than I. Barbara probably has more talent, all tolled, than all of my family put together. She's an artist, working in several different mediums, a musician, and a writer. And she's just a really good person. She is the main care-giver for our brother Alton, who, after suffering a stroke about 18 years ago, has, in the past few years, declined into a bedridden state. She provides 90% of his physical care, and she does it uncomplainingly.
About three years ago Barbara started writing me a weekly letter -- an actual letter sent through the mail. I've always cherished her letters, beginning with the time she was away in the Marine Corp and continuing after I'd married and moved out of state. Cards and letters between us were sporadic at best. But a few years ago she began writing me, our sister Maxine who also lives in a different state, and one of our cousins, on a weekly basis. Her reason for beginning to write us weekly was, if I remember correctly, because she had a lot of old stationary, cards, and notepads that she wanted to use up. A good reason, right?
Even when there isn't any real news to tell, there is always something funny about her letters, a bit of wry humor, a funny clipping, a witty line drawing, and after reading them I can't wait to read them to Thomas and Eler Beth. It has occurred to me that I'd like to share them with others as well; at least parts of them. I'm not sure how she'd feel about this, but I think she'd give her okay. She's not quite as much of a recluse as she used to be. So another series I'm going to do, along with the On the Topic of Food series will be Letters From My Sister.
I was recently glancing through a few from this year, and I came across a card she sent me right before my 49th birthday. It was a home made card. On the cover she'd drawn a woman from behind, sitting in front of a dressing table and mirror. On the inside was the mirror face with the words, "Objects in Mirror Are Older Than They Appear."
Inside she'd written to me,
"This applies to all of us, of course -- but you're the one that's about to get older. Mom was just figuring up how old you'll be, & her comment was, 'My land! My baby, about to be 49 years old...and the next one!...' The next one, of course, well, that would be me."
I got a kick out of that.
So I look forward to sharing some interesting, funny, or just warm bits from some of my sister's letters, perhaps a few times a month. It will be a nice way of introducing my family to readers, and you might get a chuckle sometimes.
That's Barbara at about 7 years old, holding me when I was a baby. :)
Happy blogging!
~ ~ Lori
Moving on to Part Two
