"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
Later this week, we in the cousins blog family celebrate a milestone: Evelyn Laufer Taylor (wife of Bryant Taylor, son of Floyd, twin of Lloyd) turns 95 years young on Wednesday, January 18th.
Happy Happy Birthday!
Evelyn has been one of the writers who keeps this blog going. She often gives me ideas, or sends along a memory or two. Here is one she wrote on the subject of, you guessed it, Birthdays!
BIRTHDAYS By Evelyn Laufer
Taylor
Bryant and Evelyn Taylor
There are
birthdays to remember and some to forget.
I recall two that were memorable for me—one as a little girl and one as
a teenager. My birthday comes in
January, quite close to Christmas, so present-wise, it never was a big
day. This particular year my parents had
been taking care of a litter of Boston Bulldogs for my aunt. Naturally, we had all picked out our
favorites. Since we were a cat family,
the puppies were a real novelty to me. I
do not recall asking to have one, but it would not be normal for a little girl
not to at least mention it. One by one
the puppies went to their new homes and two were left. When I came downstairs on the morning of my
birthday, there was Patsy with a big red bow on her neck. I did not need a tag to know she was
mine! She wiggled her way into all of
our hearts that day.
I had a party for
girls when I was a teen. I was so
thrilled because Mom set a beautiful table, using a pink Depression glass
dessert set I had given her for Christmas.
JELL-O had just introduced a new dessert mixing ice cream with Jello
which made a creamy dessert. She chose
strawberry, so this pink confection was served in the pink dessert dishes,
accompanied by a two layer, pink, frosted cake (In later years I would have
described it as a “Better Homes and Garden” table where everything matches).
Later that
evening, we were playing games in the living room when we noticed a peculiar
odor and saw a swirl of smoke coming from behind one of the chairs. My little 3-year-old cousin had hidden behind
the chair to see the action, but had had an accident and shorted the lamp cord.
They weren’t rubber cords then.
As an adult my
birthdays have come and gone, swallowed up by the never ending special parties
of my children. I only remember that the
big “O” birthdays were bothersome to me - 30 seemed so old, leaving my 20’s; 40
was “middle-escence” with its restlessness that sent us off to Australia; 50
meant I had lived a half century. Was it going to be downhill from now on?
Finally, 60 and 70 brought a feeling of accomplishment that I had made
it this far. Do I dare believe as Robert
Browning said: “Grow old along with me! / The best is yet to be,” ?
Evelyn and her family just before leaving for Australia in 1968
Evelyn wrote this in 1999. Today she is 95
years old!
Evelyn, if we could, we would be with you this Wednesday, sitting around your kitchen table as we shared a pot of tea and talked over memories and solved all of the world's problems. We would certainly like to share a piece of birthday cake, so here is hoping that your birthday is a special as you are. Thank you for ALL that you do!
And, in another email, Evelyn writes 'nothing
can top the cake Bryant made for me once. He decided to make my Crazy
Chocolate Cake which is mixed and baked right in the same pan. My recipe
had two columns, the second one Bryant did not read until the cake was in the
oven for a while. When he discovered his error, he added the baking
powder, salt, and vanilla which resulted in a real bumpy, lumpy cake! It
was the thought that counted! Bless his heart!'
Pat adds--that does sound like one CRAZY Chocolate Cake!
2 comments:
Evelyn,
Happy Birthday!! So glad you are a part of my life.
Love,
Pat
From Aunt CB:
Evie Taylor and I, having known one another since her marriage to Bryant, really bonded during his last illness.
These days, as my sisters have also passed on, I have taken Eve as my sister! She is a peach who still drives her car to church and shopping and even every two weeks, drives her 'recyclables' to the dump! How patriotic can you be!
Yes, and she is another one, when we are together, our tongues are never quiet.
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