Bev was 6 years older than me.  Our birthdates were 9 days apart.  I watched my big sister play varsity basketball.  She was tall and held the ball high over her head, threw a two handed shot and most often the ball would go swish through the net.  I wanted to be able to make that shot and play like Bev.  I practiced and practiced.  I became a guard but did make an occasional free throw.  

When Bev was probably about 15, our pet dog, Shady Lady, gave birth to six puppies.  We had great fun with them until we had to find other homes for them.  One of my favorite pictures is still Bev sitting in the side yard, looking down at six fluffy, wiggly puppies in her lap.  She was obviously enjoying them!  She named three and I named three.  I can't remember their names now but if I had asked Bev, there's a good chance she would have remembered. 

Like most siblings we had funny names for each other.  I called her Burbly, which is a close derivative of Beverly, don't you think?  I'll never know where she came up with Hammerhead as MY nickname, but it certainly delighted her to call me that.  She'd laugh and I would feign outrage, then chase her around and laugh with her.

These were the good times.