19 Months

Nineteen months isn't very long in some ways but I guess in other ways it could be a long time.  In 19 months, a student could complete a year and a half of school.  When you're young, that is a long time.  Anymore, it seems to fly by.

In 19 months an author could possibly write a book or maybe 19 books if they were like the authors of these books written in a month or less:

• The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne.  In fact, he wrote this book in 2.5 days.
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac.   He wrote his "beatnik bible" in 3 weeks.
• The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark was written in a month.

One could take 19 months to travel; that would be exciting.  Nineteen months went pretty fast, I suppose, for the woman who visited almost every country in the world in 18 months and 26 days.  This woman,"Cassie DePecol, had set out to promote peace in her own small way, by meeting people from every country in the world — and she did so at a record pace.  De Pecol made the trip in less than half the time it took the previous Guinness World Record holder."  (FYI--I learned about her when I googled "what can you do in 19 months?")

I didn't have to google this next fact.  I know this is true and can happen well within 19 months.  Two people can date, fall in love, and get married--for the husband and me it took about 3 months.  Definitely, weddings can be planned in 19 months or less.   In fact, a wedding and a birth of a baby can happen in 19 months.

After all, it only takes 9 months for a child to be born.   But realistically, a woman could conceivably (a little play on words) have two babies in 19 months.  Wow!

My sister and I know that for a fact, too.  We are 19 months apart.  That has been a wonderful thing for me and I am so glad my mother and father "planned" that so nicely for us.  But can you imagine--2 babies so close.  My girls are really close in age but not that close.

So all of this comes to mind because it is that particular sister's birthday this week.  I have to say, it must have been hard to have to become a big sister when only 19 months old.  Good grief--she was still a baby herself.  But I also have to say, I am so glad.  I have always had a playmate and good friend.

Now, I can't say that we always got along while growing up, but when we were good, we were very, very good.  And you can fill in the other side of that saying which was also true.

We were so close in age and size that Mama would often dress us alike.  Mama was talented in so many areas but when it came to sewing, she was an expert.  She was meticulous about it and we were tickled to have so many beautiful clothes.  An artist friend of ours, Katherine Strauss, has a painting that reminds me so much of this sister and me.  I've bought' one of our paintings and I'm saving up to buy this one as well.  It fits us perfectly--the matching outfits, the hair styles, the sizes of the girls.  In fact, the title of this piece of art is "Year and A Half Apart."  Although it isn't us, it could be. 

Being so close in age, we share so many of the same memories.  One of my first memories of Lana was when we were probably about 2 and 3 years old.  Our daddy was in charge of looking after us for a bit--I'm sure Lynda, our big sister, was on duty too.   For some reason, I see him in bed when this scenario happened and we had to go tell him.   Nevertheless, Lana had either found or was given a "Buffalo nickel."  AND she swallowed it.

I'm not exactly sure what they did about it except for letting it run its course, but I'll never see one of those nickels without thinking about this experience.  I think she was scared to death because she knew she would get in trouble for having it in her mouth. (I was scared to death because I thought she was going to die!  Hey, I was only 2!) 

Another fine memory I have (or at least I heard it so much that I thought it was a real memory of mine) was when Lana got into Mama's make-up as a little girl.  She enjoyed putting it on her face--after all, that was what Mama would do, right?--but Lana put it all over her face and hair with her hands.  (Too bad there were no iphones with cameras back then!)  She did get in trouble for that.  I'm not exactly sure what Mama said or did, but I do know that Lana promised Mama in her sweet little baby voice, "I won't get in your pick-up any more."

Oh my goodness--it has just occurred to me this very moment.  I never made the connection until now--this experience is why she has always been so good at putting on make-up!!!!  No wonder she has the look of perfection and youth after "getting her face on" as our Mama used to say.  She started as a mere baby.

When I stay the night with her and we are getting ready for some adventure the next morning, we, of course, have to get our make-up on first.  Well, I'm all ready to go, looking the best I think I can, in about 3 minutes.

Then I'll look at Lana's progress and she is doing the morning ritual of cleaning her face, putting her moisturizer on, getting the brushes out to apply the foundation, then comes the eye shadow and mascara procedures using the correct brush for every step (who knew there were so many steps on getting eye shadow on!).  Next is the foundation, the lipstick, the finishing powder.  (By now, my make-up needs refreshing!)  But she looks beautiful.

But wait...she hasn't done her hair yet.  Of course, she washes it everyday.  She has already put all the make-up and tools back in their assigned places, and now she gets the dryer out (with the cord perfectly wound around the dryer) from its place next to the curling iron or straightening iron or whatever it is called.  By now, I'm sitting on the side of the bathtub feeling quite shabby and not in the shabby-chic way.

Then she puts on her hair the absolutely necessary (who knew?) pre-dryer concoction, and next she is ready to dry her hair.  (I think I got all the steps so far!)  It looks darling.  "Are we ready, now?" I ask.  But no sooner than the words are out of my mouth, I see that no we are not ready yet.  The important "after-drying setting lotion" has to be applied and then comes the styling.  A touch of hair spray and she's done.

Yay!  She looks perfect.  I refuse to look in the mirror again but she is so kind--she brags on how I look.  "Oh, you look so cute!  And your hair!  I just love it.  It is so great that you can just brush it and it looks so good."  My sweet, kind sister.

Nevertheless, after all the hair-fixin' stuff is correctly returned to the spot they live in, we are ready to go.  We have so much fun--we laugh, and advise, and talk the rest of the time we are out.  She is an excellent shopper, too.  You can tell that by the clothes she wears and the furnishings in her beautiful home. However, flea-markets or goodwill stores are not on her shopping circuit.  But being a sweet sister, she will take me to these "high- brow" stores.

The first few times she took me "flea-marketing," I totally thought she would love it or learn to love it as much as I do. (I gave her several tries!)   I should have realized, though, after the first time, this wasn't going to happen.  We walked in and started looking at a few things--treasures!  Then I turned my attention to something so interesting and when I turned back around, I couldn't find her.  I am telling the truth--it was seconds and she was gone.  Not to the next booth, not to the next aisle--I'm telling you she was gone.

Not one to be inhibited in any store, especially a flea market store,  I started calling out her name while looking for her (and at the treasures!  Might not find my sister but don't want to miss finding the treasure of a life-time!)  Nevertheless, I finally caught up with her at the front of the store.  She had gone through the whole place in minutes and was ready to go--"when you are"--she would add.

So you are probably wondering, are you two really sisters?  Yes, we are.  Same mother and same father!  She just got all the genes for being particular, organized, and tidy.  You can figure out what that left me.  But we have fun and always have, but especially as grown-up sisters.  I know with only 19 months between our ages, it must have been a real challenge for our mother.  As kids, we would play hard together and then squabble hard, but I always looked up to her and for good reason.  Same now!

That 19 months translated to 2 years in the school environment.  I was always so pleased when teachers who had her and then me would ask if I were her sister.  I was proud to be identified as her sister and wanted to be more like her.   She was smart, pretty, popular, and very sweet and kind.

I'm still proud to be her sister and I'm especially glad to be 19 months YOUNGER than she.  Nevertheless, happy birthday, sweet Lana.  I love you dearly.