Aunt Margaret

Today is the first day of fall. Soon the weather will start cooling off and the holidays will be here before we know it. For some reason this got me to thinking about my mom's sister, Aunt Margaret. She was a very cool aunt. She would send me expensive cards that had puzzles and games. I remember one thanksgiving card that she sent, where there was a punch-out section that had you build the Mayflower. There where also pop-up Halloween cards with ghosts and black cats jumping out to say, Boo" and big felt Santa Clauses, some of which we still put out during Christmas. My Birthday is six days before Christmas and she would send me big fun birthday cards, too. She signed every card with a green felt tipped pen with her precise script.
Aunt Margaret served in World War II. She was in the WAVES and was stationed in Florida. There is a funny story about her. She was leading the ladies in a drill, marched them right around the corner, and straight into a wall. When she got out of the WAVES, she decided she wanted her pilots license. So she learned to fly a plane. Then she moved to California and bought a motor scooter. She drove this to and from work every day. She always wore bright red lipstick. She was visiting my great uncle who served on the local volunteer fire department. While she was there a call came in signalling a fire. As my uncle was rushing out the door, Aunt Margaret said, "wait, I want to go with you, but I have to put on my lipstick!" Aunt Margaret passed awayed the first week of September 1998 four days after her brother. She was 74 years old.

Mom and her sister, Margaret