My sister Teresa..

I was telling you yesterday about my "fear" and dislike of animals. My sister, Teresa, on the other hand could handle anything. We, Dad that is, had just got rid of a bunch of cats when we were on the farm. (They were overunning the place!) Teresa comes in that afternoon with an apronful of kittens that someone had dumped up the road! And of course Dad let her keep them! She was very small at the time! We had along with Nellie, a very big work horse and even Dad was a little shy of him! But Teresa, NO! She would walk out into the pasture go right up to him, pet him, and climb up his leg and sit on his back and gently, without benefit of a rein, walk him to the barn. When she got there, he would stand and she would grab hold of the molding aover the door and he would walk in and she would jump into the hay!!! Absolutely fearless!!! Dad was so amazed when he saw her do that! He tried to caution her about the horse but she was not afraid of him and he, the horse, in his animal sense knew she couldn't or wouldn't hurt him!!!! Teresa was like a little fairy when she was small. Blond, blue eyed and so talented, etc. We, my sister Genevieve and I had a teacher in Wawawai who gave any of the students who desired, piano lessons. Genevieve and I took the lessons and Mother and Dad bought a second hand piano for us to practice on! Teresa wasn't even in school yet but when we would practice before school in the mornings she would stand and listen to us, It wasn't long before Mother heard her playing the very music that we had been playing! Mother watched her and she would go over to the piano stool and give it a twist or two so that she could reach the keys and then sit down and play the music! Mrs. Earl, our teacher then gave her and our cousin Betty (same age!) lessons! The first year that we had a recital, neither girl was in school yet! But Mrs. Earl wanted them in the recital! My aunt made her a cute little fluffy dress etc. and when it came time for her to play, she walked over to the bench, (there wasn't a stool for this piano.) Then she sat down facing the audience and gave herself a spin around and started playing! She didn't make one mistake!!! Real talent!!! In later years when she was going to school in White Pines, the County Music Director asked Mother if he could give her lessons (free) because HE said, he had never heard anyone her age play as well as she did!!! She is gone now almost two years! We still love you Teresa!