Wednesday. Today I went to the cannery. The whole place has been converted into a store where you can buy all the dry goods you want, already in cans. I purchased three cases of sugar, two cases of rice, and a case of potato pearls. As I stepped into the well-lit, cheerful cannery, I couldn't help but remember the time years ago when Sunee, Stalee and I canned together. That was the day when the workers told us how much we could plan on canning, and we canned so quickly that we almost doubled the normal canning-per-hour quota! There were bits of flour and dry milk floating in the air and dusting our faces, but we had those machines in a constant whir of action. We laughed and talked as we worked, happy to be together. We canned flour, sugar, dry milk, rice, oats, and tons of wheat. I was so excited to get started with my new red Kitchen-Aid and my Bosch wheat grinder. We were going to be home-made-bread makers. And there were a few glorious times when we actually got together to grind our wheat and mix our bread dough while the little ones played.
Now that I'm traveling down this memory lane, I'd like to keep going. The three of us would meet at the river trail almost daily. We would push strollers and run or walk in the sunshine. Sometimes Stalee would meet me in the early morning dark, and we would train for an upcoming race. When it got closer to summer, we sat down with our calendars and scheduled days at the pool or the park. We joined forces for preschool and playdates. We saw each other so often that it seemed it would never change. I want to say that I didn't know how good I had it, but I did! I loved being so close to two of my sisters.
And then one heartbreaking day, Stalee and her family left St. George. Sunee and I made our way without her--running, walking, swimming every day in the summer. I missed Stalee living in Sunee's basement and being my daily friend, but I was also thankful to know that Stalee was in a better situation, in a beautiful house in Hooper, eventually.
And then one heartbreaking day, for me, Sunee started working full time. I've made my way without her--running or walking the river trail alone, and deciding that maybe I'm too busy for new friends anyway, and watching the weeks pass without seeing my sisters. I've missed Sunee, but I'm also thankful to know that she is in a better situation and doing so much good at Dixie High School.
So, this time, I walked into the cannery alone. I carried little Lance on my hip, and smiled softly to myself when I noticed that the canning machines were gone. I could almost hear the wisps of laughter floating up among the particles of flour and dry milk. I paused and enjoyed the warm memory. Then I loaded the cases into my car and wondered to myself if I should start making bread again.
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