Zoom Sisters

When my sister Susan and I were little, our parents rented this little cottage in Little Compton, RI for the summer. There was no TV, and Susan and I were addicted to TV. So we had to come up with our our own activities to keep ourselves busy.

One thing we did is rig a fishing line from our bedroom window to the bottom of the tree outside. Then we would wrap bungee cords around our stuffed animals, open the window, and send them down the line. People from far away couldn't see the fishing line, and I remember the owner of the house wondering how we got our stuffed animals to fly down to the bottom of the tree so smoothly.

Another thing we did is ride our bikes all over the place. There was a bakery down the street, and the baker used to make cookies of naked sunbathers. We used to hang out there, waiting to see if anyone bought the naked cookies. And we'd giggle like crazy when they did.

Another thing we did was to pretend we were on a tv show. Not just any tv show, but the ever popular Zoom. We were the stars of a special segment called "Zoom Sisters". We would do simple things, like make a salad, but we would talk through each step in great detail while talking to a pretend TV camera that wasn't there. Seriously. We would do this for hours on end.

"Hi and welcome to Zoom Sisters. Today we're going to show you how to pick berries!"

"Hi and welcome to Zoom Sisters. Today we're going to show you how to sweep the kitchen and get rid of all that summer sand!"

"Today we are taking Zoom sisters on the road! Follow us as we ride our bikes into town! Wonder what we'll find there?"

You get the idea.

There was something so wonderful about that simple time, when all we had was each other to occupy ourselves. I'm so glad that I share these memories with my amazing sister.

And now that we are all grown up, I love it when our families get together and we get to watch the 6 cousins together. Playing in the brook at the barn. Performing a dance off in the living room. Looking for bugs and butterflies as we hike through the woods. Giggling as they wait for Santa to come as they are all crammed into one bedroom. They love to be together, and Susan and I love watching them together.

And every now and then, when we're doing something together, Susan will ask me if I remember "Zoom Sisters".

As if I could ever forget.