Celebration: Anniecat Chronicles Ii

By Joan Rust

...the splendid humor and devotion to narrrative of the popular Anniecat Chronicles in a new book by Joan Rust, her further tribute to life in the Northwoods and the celebration of family.

Joan (JoJo) Rusts new book, CELEBRATION provides a home-spun respite from the stress of video games, the tedium of text messaging and the anxiety of twenty-four hour news. JoJos world view, formed in the 1940s and 50s, and nourished in the rustic environment of Michigans Upper Peninsula, provides a calm reflection upon the many ways in which our lives are blessed in a world that hurries as fast as it shrinks. This book celebrates ordinary wonders too often taken for granted. ~Nino E. Green, Lawyer/Author Ms.

Rust maintains a unique voice while bringing authors such as Guterson, Maclean, and Flagg to mind. ~Amy K. Gaines

CELEBRATION by Jo Jo Rust is a pleasant journey through a literary shoebox of family memories. Spanning over 50 years, these skillfully written life narratives will warm your heart. ~John Hager - Author of the Matt Hunter Adventures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984532893

Joan Rust

Joan Rust is a native of Michigans Upper Peninsula. She is, in order of importance, a greatgrandmother, Green Bay Packer fan, writer.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Joan Rust.

ISBN:                  Softcover                        978-1-9845-3290-9

                            eBook                              978-1-9845-3289-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 06/07/2018

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

780434

CONTENTS

Kids And Kinfolk

Waving

Two Birthdays

Beautiful Surprises

Momentum

Stellar

Books And Music

Tomato Pickle

Candid Mom

Tribute

School Bell Crafts

Fast Puppy

Fruitcake

Fragrances

Tightie Whities

Uncle Clive

Empty Nest

Sendoff

Fireside

The Greatgrandchildren

Yooper

Home

Rewards

Hot Flashes

Bear St0ry

Heat Wave

Flu Shot

Storage

Dichotomy

Cowgirl

Undercover

Duck Empire

Icy Roads

January Spring Cleaning

Packer Cardiology

One-Stop Shopper

Subzero

Celebration

Phone Calls

Tea

Cheerful

Greeter

Swimmer

Afterthought

Haircut

Passwords

Dregs

Miles To Go

Reconciliation

First Kiss

Prayerful

Open Water

Cyber Intervention

Changeover

Whisker Rub

Jeffrey

Thanksgiving

Leftovers

Treasure

Celebration

Moments

KIDS and KINFOLK

I’ll love you forever,

I’ll like you for always,

As long as I’m living,

My baby you’ll be.

Robert Munsch

WAVING

There is a large window over the kitchen sink in the cabin at Bay Mills. The bottom half lifts out of the wall and is set aside; the top half is raised to ceiling hooks. The result is a large, screened view of all the activities along the breakwater and out onto the bay. A beautiful waterwind breezes through the opening, slamming the back door and knocking loose items from atop the cupboards. This kitchen window was a perfect frame for the portrait of my mother as she stood at the sink, preparing a meal or washing up a few dishes. Keeping an eye on all of us, she would look up and wave. Leaving from the cabin or from the house on Hursley Avenue, the last happy memory of our visit was that wave from Mom as she stood on the porch, no matter the time or the weather, to send us off with love. My heart learned a few things watching her. I want those last few minutes with my family and friends, so I am on the porch to wave them down the driveway and on their way ... always.

Air travel has changed our welcomes and goodbyes. TSA more or less greets our loved ones and shuffles them away these days while we stand on the other side of partitions. Drop and dash is a heartbreaking new trend ... like cell phones at a family dinner. Families can pull up to the terminal, and with the motor running, watch their children disappear through sliding doors, hauling exactly 50 lbs. of luggage and Mom’s cookies already crumbling in the carryon. Some of us manage a staged cheerfulness through this; but, yielding to the tears just past the long term parking lot, turn to give that wave anyway. Seeing my loved ones off is difficult; however, they go back to the lives they have created for themselves which make me proud of them. Also, I know there will be arrivals as well when I welcome a child home at a gate, on the porch, from the window, waving.

TWO BIRTHDAYS

April 10, 1956. 11:00 a.m. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The Rust household on Hursley Avenue. Elva Rust is preparing a cake for her youngest daughter’s birthday. The oldest Rust daughter has been staying with her parents while her husband is on maneuvers with the army; and she enters the kitchen