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As promised in my last column, there were many other July-August happenings that deserve recognition.
Norma (Bird) Wright’s month-long birthday celebration is one of them. Her actual birthday was July 17, and it was her 70th. And because Norma isn’t your average gal, Zeb and Norma’s friends and family planned an extraordinary event.
“My friend, Freddie, my daughter, Fern, and granddaughters, Jenny and Rachel, joined Zeb and his sister, Betty, and brother, Bob, and we all met in Salina at Red Lobster,” began Norma. But this was no ordinary luncheon, oh no!
“We were all wearing wigs, beads from New Orleans, and glittery sunglasses, We were senior hookers, and Zeb was our little pimp in a pink shirt and cummerbund, with a gray wig that went straight into the air (sorta like Don King).” Norma is laughing as she continues the story. “I went into a store in Herington and they were good enough to go into storage and let me look through all the Halloween stuff for the funny wigs.”
Now, Norma eats at Red Lobster in Salina so frequently, she knows the receptionist. “When we walked in I asked her if there were rules about solicitation, she just cracked up! She said she’d give anything if her mom and grandma would do something like this,” said Norma.
Norma’s daughter and granddaughters gave her flowers and gifts and her sweetheart, Zeb, showered her with presents for more than a month. “He’s always buying me lotion at Tuesday Morning and the staff knows us so well that when we come in they’re pointing out the latest shipment,” continued Norma.
When I told my sister this cute story, she smiled and said, “I was walking by their yard the other day and the fragrance was wonderful — maybe the scent of lotion is even escaping the house!”
Zeb also built Norma a privacy fence, with clematis and other plants around it — just another birthday gift. “The people at the plant store know us now, too,” she laughed. “Zeb even put pumps in our two fish ponds — oh it’s so pretty in our yard!”
The extended birthday party went on for about a month and a half, because Zeb’s sister, Betty Roth, also had a decade birthday — her 80th. “We just continued the party,” said Norma. “We put on our black hosiery, our beads, our wigs, and off we went again. We got balloons and a cake and created a party at the Herington Senior Center.”
On Aug. 23 Zeb and Norma will head for Oklahoma for another family birthday party for Zeb’s brother, Bob. “Bob’s party will be like another family reunion,” said Norma. They’re all going out to dinner at a restaurant in Guthrie, Okla.
“Oh, it’s just insane,” laughs Norma. “We’re having so much fun together!”
Jane Staatz’s birthday was Aug. 1. She had a gigantic singing card that she was carrying with her throughout the day. It was from her brother, Art. “I always have a giant card for my birthday,” explained Jane, as she asked me to sign it. “Then I take it with me everywhere — even to work — and have people sign it.” This year’s card had dogs on it and when opened it began singing, “Who let the dogs out?” and the message said, “Happy birthday from the whole mutt-ly crew.” This was particularly appropriate for Jane since she’s an avid dog lover.
Gertie Schubert returned to Ramona — she’s been living in Greeley, Colo., for the past couple of years — to celebrate her 90th birthday, which was July 28. On the day before, a Sunday, a reception was held at Trinity Lutheran Church, where Gertie greeted nearly 100 guests who came to celebrate with her.
My sister placed three giant rocking chairs on the east wall of the parish hall, placing Gertie in the middle one, which had two gigantic gold balloons above it, in the shape of a 90. The chairs beside Gertie were continually filled — in fact we were challenged to get folks to “move along” and make room for other guests, because the seats were so inviting.
Gertie’s granddaughters, Kim Glueckert, Kristina Schubert, and Tara Schubert, all of Colorado, served cake and punch to her guests. Gertie’s sons and their wives — Gary and Carol Schubert of Greeley, and Keith and Vicki Schubert of Aurora, hosted the event. I coordinated the party for my cousins, since I live here and it was easier for me to order cake and flowers.
Gertie’s party was part of the A.G. & Auguste Schubert reunion that was held that weekend in Ramona. Since my mother was a Schubert, this was my family reunion. The official reunion dinner was held at noon and featured Gertie’s favorite meal — fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy. Additional yummy surprises were green beans from my sister’s garden and corn on the cob from Jirak Farms. Just writing about that great meal makes me drool.
The Schubert reunion goes on for several days, and guests started arriving the Wednesday before. It’s always such fun to have everyone arrive, because our guesthouses are filled with family. Our family was the driving force behind the acquisition of our guesthouses and when we moved here, we just decided to open them up to everyone.
On July 26 the first official function of our reunion took place when we had cousin Carol Schubert’s famous buttermilk pancakes. Last year we videoed Carol making the pancakes, and when her daughters saw the video they informed their mother that she looked like a wreck.
“There I was, in my pajamas, making breakfast,” said Carol, as she recalled how she looked. “This year, let’s dress up. Let’s wear formals to breakfast.”
Now I love anything zany, and I adore any excuse to wear my formals and high heels, so when Carol joked about wearing formals, I jumped on the bandwagon. I immediately sent out a notice to everyone coming to reunion and said, “Bring your formal wear.”
The night before our formal breakfast, my cousin, Kristina, asked, “Do you have anything that Tasia (her three-year-old niece) could wear?” I replied that I’d check our storage house, where we keep all our props and costumes. Sure enough, I found a formal made for a teenager that had a body like a stick, and we put it on Tasia, and pinned it up so it wouldn’t fall off of her.
On Saturday morning, Tasia showed up with her grandma Carol, dressed to the hilt, and her grandmother was stunning to behold — Carol had on a black sheath skirt with a silk, sheer, white organza blouse with rhinestone buttons, and she pranced around the kitchen in her towering spike heels (borrowed from a daughter). She looked spectacular frying those pancakes!
The rest of the kitchen crew was not to be outdone: Tooltime Tim (bacon fryer) was dressed in shorts, but he had on a tank top that was rimmed in rhinestones, and he wore a black velvet vest to go with it. To top it off, Tim sported a black top hat.
It turned out that Tim was the only man who came dressed formal for the family breakfast — and that’s because Pat dressed him! We were proud of his adventurous spirit. But the ladies — oh my, they looked just breathtaking. Several of our cousins’ kids are in their 20s so they still adore dressing up in formals. Pat’s daughter, Jana, was here and I got one of our black gowns from storage for her, too — she’s almost 40, and even after having her baby, she’s got the figure of a teenager. I was thrilled that somebody in the family could still wear these amazing gowns.
The formal pancake breakfast was so much fun we’re considering making it a tradition. It was amazing how the food just tasted even more exceptional than usual, when sitting across from someone in beautiful attire.
If you’re curious about who attended the Schubert family gathering, check out the article elsewhere in this issue of the Marion County Record — I have a policy about not putting lists of names in my Ramona column.
Ben Thompson headed out Aug. 5 for basic training with the Army National Guard. His dad, Jim, said he’ll be in Ft. Knox, Ky., for about three months and then be shipped to Maryland for several more months of training in the repair of Army tanks — specifically tank tracks. “This particular skill is in such high demand in Iraq, so he’ll probably be shipped there after his training,” said Jim.
A send-off party took place at the Thompson household on the weekend before Ben’s departure. Family friends, Collin Bailey, and Amber and Andrew Brown, all of Ramona, joined Ben and his friends for this get-together.
Ramona’s population increased by one this month — Byron and Julie Noeth are the proud parents of a baby girl, Clara Jenell, born Aug. 3. She arrived on her Grandma Noeth’s birthday — Byron’s mother also is named Jenell.
“Clara was two weeks early,” said Julie, “and not due until Aug. 18.” But despite an early arrival, she weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. “Now I’m trying to figure out how to get some sleep,” smiled Julie. Ah, yes, the lament of new parents.
And that’s the news from Ramona, where a traffic jam is two parked cars and a dog in the road.