Sisters

As is my practice of an evening, I went to the china cabinet and took out a piece of stemware and poured myself a glass of wine.  I looked at this glass: it is not antique, but it is old and it holds terrifically fun memories.   There is a line around the very center of the globe.  That is the horizon, from which all the etchings of pine trees and snowflakes originate.  I like to call these wineglasses in my china cabinet my "Winter Stemware". When our kids were fairly young, I sometimes would ask them to fill the glasses "to the horizon".  I remember one very difficult day last year, I requested that my glass be filled "TO THE TREETOPS!"    

How did I come to own so many glasses in my "Winter Stemware"?

May years ago, I had lunch with my sister Barb.  We went to Arby's.  She ordered for us, and - WOW!  we got two wineglasses of "Winter Stemware"!  For free!  With pop in them!  My sister really knew how to do things.

I wanted more.  More Winter Stemware...enough for that Spouse o' Mine and our three kids.  (No, we would not fill their glasses to the horizon with wine, Silly; milk in those wineglasses!)

The problem was that Arby's offer for glasses (I am pretty sure they did not tout this deal as Free Wineglasses) was that you got a free glass when you ordered a soda.  Well, we Armstrongs did not and do not drink sodas.  So I was at a loss.  I called my sister up.  (Her family drank sodas like...I don't know; like horses eat alfalfa?)  Can you PLEASE get me some more Arby's glasses?  She said she would do whatever she could.  And that was the end of the story.

Christmas came, and we were all merrily doing the Little and Big Family Christmases.  Big Family Christmas that year: A large box was set in front of me.  To Tric.  (My sister Barb never spelled my name any other way that Tric.)  I opened it, and there was a boatload of newspaper.  Newspaper wrapping something...

Omigoodness!  Twenty-six Arby's Winter Stemware Wineglasses!!

She had called the three brothers, who were in cahoots on this, and they all visited Arbys the month of December, to get me my glasses.

You gotta love family.

And sisters.