I learned everything I need to know from

The Four Sisters

By Peggy Burgess Salamon

This is about the four living daughters of John and Lottie Gay. Peggy wrote it after a 1999 trip she and her husband Nick took with the sisters. At this time the sisters were all in their late 70s and 80s.

1) Be cheerful in the morning.
2) Get dressed and make up the bed first thing.
3) Eat a healthy breakfast -- fresh fruit, whole grain cereal, low-fat milk and only one cup of coffee.
4) Use sunscreen.
5) Put family first.
6) Drink water.
7) Never pig out.
8) Sterilize mousetraps between uses.
9) Appreciate nature; learn the names of common wild flowers like 'Joe Pie'.
10) Be nice to Nick.
11) Melt Crisco with water in microwave to make an easy and delicious piecrust.
12) Recycle.
13) A 15-minute nap after lunch is a good thing.
14) Be cheerful in the afternoon.
15) Exercise the mind by playing bridge or doing crossword puzzles.
16) When an ailment such as a bladder infection and shingles strike, use an ice pack and keep going.
17) Waste not.
18) Walk after dinner.
19) Be cheerful at night.
20) Keep faith and spirits up.
21) Put a good reading lamp beside the bed and read before going to sleep.