The Rerouted Skytress

So, last Monday was my sister Patti’s birthday. It isn’t important how old she turned. What is important is,….that she is older than me. Gee wiz. That line never gets old! As Chris Myers from Fox Sports says,…I kid, because I love. My sister Patti is my biggest cheerleader in life. She is my mentor. She is my inspiration for trying new things in life that excite my soul, ….even if I’m not sure I’m ready to try something new. Big sisters always know when we are ready. Especially, mine.

Patti and I shared the same bedroom for the “annoying big sister – annoying little sister” years. We would get on each other’s nerves all the time. We always wished we had our own rooms. Then our older sister, Maureen, would do something that we thought was completely crazy. Patti and I would sit in our room together and be grateful neither one of us had to share a room with her. Now, some of you may know, I get teased a lot about being a neatnik. My sister Patti proudly says her daughter Megan takes after me. Well, the truth be told, I was trained by Patti. I believe she conveniently forgets this fact. Yes, my sister Patti raked our bedroom shag carpet with a wooden rake so the carpet pile would stand straight up. Then I was not allowed to walk on it. Patti didn’t like me putting footmarks on her groomed carpet. I was also admonished if I put a wrinkle on the bedspreads. Well,….. her bedspread. I would try to even out the ripples, however, she always knew it was my butt that messed up her bed. For better or worse, Patti has followed in our Mother’s footsteps. Our Mother was a neatnik until she had children. Patti was a neatnik until she had children. Fortunately for everyone, shag carpet left our lives many years ago. Although, I would have loved to see Megan drag a wooden rake into her room to groom it. I never got a picture of my sister raking the shag carpet. I most definitely would have pictures if Megan did.

Patti was always surprising my parents with unique requests. They were innocent requests, though. She would like a camping tent. A unicycle would be fabulous. Would it be okay to turn part of the basement into a darkroom? You may remember my parents are from Jersey City. When my city-raised dad went to the camping store, he came home with the biggest tent they sold. Patti set it up in the middle of the yard and it became the summer fort. If I close my eyes, I can still smell the green canvas material baking in the summer heat. It’s was an oddly, unpleasant….pleasant smell. It makes me smile to think about it now. My parents bought the unicycle, too. Our elementary school had a unicycle team. Patti was on it. Among many unicycle tricks, Patti could ride her unicycle straight across a gymnastic floor balance beam. My parents proudly threw the unicycle in the car when we went back East to visit our relatives. I’m sure our relatives thought people in the Midwest were a wee bit peculiar riding unicycles at school. I’m also certain the neighbors asked our relatives A LOT of questions after we left. The darkroom might be considered just as odd. However, Patti loved photography. There was plenty of room in the basement to set up a darkroom. So, my parents happily agreed to let Patti have a one. My parents immediately fell in love with the black and white photography Patti printed. I did, too. I eventually learned from my sister how to develop film and make prints on my own. Patti just set up another darkroom in her house a few weeks ago. Now she and her girls can develop film and print pictures. I’m so excited for my sister and her girls. Patti has wanted to do this since they moved into their house years ago. I’m excited for me, too. I know I will be invited will hang out in darkroom with my sister. It will be like old times.

A couple years ago my sister decided she would like to play the cello. Patti played the flute when she was younger. So, learning to play an instrument was not new to her. One evening we were in Patti’s car driving to watch her daughter, Jill, play the violin in the college symphony. Patti informed me then she was going to take lessons to learn to play the cello. I guess I should have been surprised by this declaration, but, I wasn’t. Patti is always trying something new. Patti has spent many hours in her living room practicing her cello. Her dog, Charlie, faithfully lays at her feet while she practices. Charlie and all of us are extremely impressed with her cello performances these days. Jill and Patti even collaborated to surprise my brother-in-law with a string duet for a Father’s Day gift. Patti hid her cello for weeks so my brother-in-law would be surprised she took up playing the cello. He was surprised on two accounts. One, that she learned to play the cello. Two, that she hid such an awkwardly big instrument from him.

For awhile, running was Patti’s passion. When I was living in Cincinnati, Patti came to visit and ran a half-marathon in the Air Force Marathon, in Dayton, Ohio. I, on the other hand, sat in the car and waited for her to finish so we could eventually go see the Air Force museum. Patti also ran in the Walt Disney World half-marathon to prepare for the New York Marathon. Our entire family went back East when she ran in that marathon. Patti ran 26.2 miles. In contrast, my Uncle George, brother Brian and I drove from my Aunt and Uncle’s house in New Jersey hours later to cheer her on as she finished the marathon. Unlike my sister, the only running I do is when I am forced to run the concourse sprint to catch my flight home. Fortunately for me, I don’t have to do this too often. Patti gave up running after she ran the New York Marathon. She eventually set her sights on hiking the Grand Canyon. For months, Patti would walk up and down the stairs in her house with a weighted backpack on. She also walked all around the neighborhood and the nearby parks with her backpack to train. Patti and her friends hiked the Grand Canyon for three days. This year she set her sights on hiking Yosemite. Unfortunately, COVID delayed those plans. So, instead, Patti painted her deck, her shutters, her front door, side-house door, patio furniture……..

It is no secret that Patti is not the best cook. We still tease her about the time she had to call the firemen one evening when she was making dinner. But, if we need an answer to a computer or phone issue, she is our go-to-gal. Patti set up our Alexa device. Patti uses her Alexa device for everything. Patti proudly tells Alexa to add items to her grocery list and it updates her grocery list on her phone. I still make a paper grocery list. Yes, I do use our Alexa device all the time. I ask Alexa to tell me pirate jokes.

I’m very fortunate Patti lives in the subdivision behind us. I don’t worry about my Mom and Brian when I am flying. Patti is just minutes away if they need her. She is there if I need her, too. She drove me to the emergency room late one night. She made me laugh for hours, even though I was very scared. She also had me laughing as she drove me to my out-patient procedures in the wee hours of the morning. Patti jokes and calls our Mom her “backup husband”. I call Patti my “backup husband”. When Ron died Patti was there immediately to console me. When I asked her if she would come with me to Warm Springs Ranch to see the Clydesdales,….something Ron and I had planned to do,…she didn’t hesitate to come. My niece, Jill, also came. We had a beautiful day. Needless to say, I will always cherish the memories we made that day.

I cannot tell you how many times Patti has moved her patient load around to be there for our family. More importantly, she has moved her patient load around to be there for her girls. I remember when the “find my friends” app first came out for phones. Patti downloaded it on my brother-in-law’s phone. Patti wanted her husband, Pat, ….yes, they are Patti and Pat…..to see how much time she spent in her car between treating patients and driving the girls everywhere. My brother-in-law never looks at the app. Patti’s daughters and all of our family all have the app. Again,….thanks to Patti. We all know the endless miles she has driven to get her girls to such places as, school, sports games, music practices, and youth church activities. Because of her endless devotion and dedication, Patti has raised the most loving, compassionate, talented daughters. They are beautiful and smart young ladies. They definitely take after my sister. Patti’s has been a mother and a mentor to her girls. Jill takes after Patti with her love of music and love of teaching. Jill is majoring in music and education. Jamie inherited Patti’s love for the camera and is majoring in electronic arts and video studies. Megan, not surprisingly, is going to become a physical therapist just like her mom.

My sister Patti may have turned another year older last week. But, her zest for life and her determination to feed her soul has remained fresh and exciting as ever. Her faith in God and positivity in life has only grown with the passing years. Patti inspires me daily. She is not only a remarkable sister. She is an exceptional human being. My big sister has taught me well. More importantly she has loved me well.