A Tribute to My Aunt

Aunt Inez and Uncle Leonard were always favorite visitors at our house when we were growing up and of course all through our adulthood. Leonard was a lumberjack, just like my dad, they were best friends too. He always had candy and always had energy to throw us up in the air, and thank goodness always caught us on the way down. I don't remember ever seeing Inez without a smile, her eyes were always crinkly and sparkling with good nature, and she baked the best pies on the planet. My mom was the queen of fried chicken and homebaked bread, Inez queen of the pastry world. They never made it into the history books, but sure made their way into a lot of people's hearts. I'll be going home to see Inez laid to rest next week, and say my sad goodbyes, but happy knowing she and Leonard and mom and dad are all back together, maybe talking about their younger days of camping out on the American River and panning for gold that sparkles in the sand there, but just darned hard to gather up. I miss them all.