Window shopping

The engaged couple: Dan and Everilde

Mother's greatest joy in life was to go shopping at the large Meier & Frank store. She was known as “one of William Head of Quatama's daughters.” On each floor she was greeted by the floorwalker, a sort of official public relations employee; this seemed to make her appear full of pride.

We would shop for hours on each and every floor, mulling over hundreds of things we neither needed nor could afford. The day commenced with the stop at the candy counter where I could choose one “opera stick.” This took awhile as there were 20 or more flavors. I suspect this stop was a protection against my fussing to go home while there was still candy to put in my mouth.

Once in awhile she would buy something that she would decide to return. Of course this gave an excuse for another shopping trip the next week. If these trips lasted all day I would be treated to a scoop of ice cream served in a chilled silver bowl with a cream filled wafer.

One excuse Mother used to extend these trips was that we would save bus fare by waiting to drive home with Daddy. My sister, when not left home with a neighbor and spared these trips, usually slept in the store-provided buggies or just watched the crowds of people while I in turn had aching legs and feet. To these day I abhor shopping to the point I'd rather be strung up by my thumbs.

The highlights in our lives as children were Christmas, the winter snow, Easter and summer at the beach house – and of course, visits to the farm. Much later in life I was to be reminded of these times as I talked and laughed about them with my sister, even though she was in pain and dying of cancer, we giggled over our memories.