Memories from Astrid (Steinhoff) Webster (sister)

      One thing I remember about my sister was that she was tall, had naturally curly hair (sigh!) and looked regal. I was short, awkward and had hair as straight as a stick. She did wonderfully in school, I talked a lot. She got good grades, I got notices that I'd do better if I minded my own business (that's still true). She had quite a head for business and if you look at my business, you realize I that I still haven't learned much on that score.

The Steinhoff girls: Gisela, Astrid, Hannelore, Monika

      Gisela once told our brother Riner, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Riner was a teen and may just have used the fword. He and I sometimes met in our rebellion. Gisela would naturally observe, figure things out and do the best she could within that context. Her three younger siblings were constantly trying to figure out how to escape the context. She and I did have a love of learning in common, though. I wanted so badly to go to school because that's where my really cool siblings were (read older). I could hardly wait to learn to read because I could already read their pleasure in the books where they buried their heads.

      Gisela was quite an act to follow. Of all the people in my family who had curls, Gisela had the most. All the others who had curls were boys.  Drat... what's the justice there?  Then, when we were teens, Gisela took some of the curl out of her hair... and she didn't even give it to me. In total frustration, I ironed my hair. If curly was hopeless, at least I could have the straightest! It kind of stuck and where she went straight, I went hippy. Now I go to the hairdresser three times a year and get my curls out of a bottle. Not the same as her lovely tresses but at least it's curly, at least for a while.

      One of our favorite things to do when we were teens and had moved from Alamogordo, NM was to go get an ice cream cone. Whoever was the most recent driver licensee got to take the younger sibs. It was a great excuse to get behind the wheel and mom was likely to say yes because she got a few minutes with fewer kids. From the first time I tasted coffee ice cream (it deserves a food group of its own), it was my favorite. Strangely though, I've craved ice cream for the past few nights and when I went to the store, the only thing that sounded perfect (even though I've never tasted it before) was Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. It was delicious.

Here are Paul and Gisela with my granddaughter.