Yep, I remember the yarn shop.  It was an odd situation.  The owner didn’t have enough money to keep it warm.  He was also an alcoholic with a temper.  One time, I let a lady buy some yarn and pay later.  I knew she would pay it back.  Well, he drove over to our house in a rage and yelled at me about how expensive it was and how he was having a hard enough time keeping the place afloat.  And she did come back and pay… 

It’s funny, I play bridge with his sister now.  Eventually, that temper killed him.  His wife left him, he drank a lot and he went down hill.  He got so angry that his heart blew up. 

But I’m sorry.  I don’t remember you sitting on my lap or even being there.  I’m sure you did.  You must have been in school or maybe you were four or so and came with me.  I just don’t remember. 

Making yogurt, I remember that.  It was sort of a science experiment and you thought it was very interesting.  We had to have starter with active cultures and get it to a certain heat, but not too hot.  I’d pour it into six little cups, and the machine would keep it a certain temperature for six hours.  It was a plug in thing, to keep it the right temp.  Here in Michigan, it’s too cold otherwise, or I’m too cheap and keep my house warm enough.  I just made plain yogurt and we would have it with berries.  I was a regular granola mamma at that time. 

What I remember most… can I go off and segue way into something else?   

Ok, I remember a couple of thing in your life and my life.  When you were just short of three, I had children from CAP (Community Action Program) who were financially disadvantaged or lived out in the country and were isolated and needed better socializing.  They would come over as part of a preschool program.  It was just happenstance. I didn’t even have a teaching degree.  But a woman who knew me and that Iwas taking masters classes in early childhood, called and asked if I was interested.  And I said sure. 

Well, I had a separate budget for their supplies and you weren’t allowed to play with them except when the kids came over.  It was a government program and I had to keep receipts and such.  And you were so jealous that you couldn’t play with the stuff the rest of the time.  I had to be quite firm with you. 

Another thing I remember is going to Lake Michigan.  We would go down to the beach and look for shells.  Or sometimes I would paint and you would draw.  You also liked to watch this German guy on PBS who had a painting show.  You were three or four and were just fascinated by it. I thought it was very unusual for a little girl to be mesmerized by watching painting.  

You also liked doing yoga with Miss Lily, a PBS morning program from Wisconsin.  She was very gentle and you liked her voice.  I did it on a regular basis.  I still do the neck exercises.   

This is the stuff I remember us doing alone.  Probably, it was when your brother was in school or spending time with friends.  He was very gregarious and spent loads of time with friends.  So it was just the two of us.