A Tale of Two Sisters

One day after school, the bus dropped off Tara and the girl next door and they proceeded on their jaunt home as usual. Naturally, they cut through the field like they did most days, because that saved them about two minutes, which from a child's perspective is of significant relevance. It just so happens that on this particular day, Tara had donned a bright red sweater-not just bright red but fire engine red. The bull grazed in the pasture, as was his afternoon habit, and the two girls strolled along, unconcerned by his presence. After all, they had walked through the pasture several dozen times before and the bull seemed not to even notice their trespassing. But that day, the bull had his eye on Tara and her bright red sweater; he started to make snorting sounds and stomped his shaggy foot in the dirt. The girls became uneasy, but remembered that people warned them not run from an animal, because that would prompt the animal to chase them. The bull turned broadside to the girls and arched his back. Tara could see the hair on his back standing straight up, as if statically charged, and the hair on the back of her neck responded accordingly. The bull vigorously shook his head from side to side, like he attempted to deter a pest buzzing around his face. He turned, facing them, making direct eye contact with his eyes protruding from their sockets. The bull stared down at the girls, warning them that they had invaded his fight or flight zone, and he had no intention of running. The horns on his head extended straight out, then curved into an s-shape on the tips. He scrubbed them swiftly on the ground and stomped his paws. He then lowered his head, constantly digging his feet into the earth, preparing to strike. Tara trembled, gazing up at the older girl for guidance, who rose a single finger to her lips, signaling for Tara to remain silent. Most of us assume that a bull reacting to the color red is an old wives' tale. But Sheryl St. George and her sister Tara have spent a lifetime learning that assumptions like this-and even the most seemingly mundane and safe situations-can turn dangerous at the proverbial drop of a hat. For them the phrase, "If something can go wrong it will," pretty much sums up their lives. Whether or not they escape undamaged is usually more a result of blind luck then any type of quick thinking or well thought out solution or plan. Since they're both still alive, it's pretty clear that in this situation Tara "grabbed the bull by the horns" and survived, and it is that resilience that turns their rambling life story together from potential tragedy to high comedy. Grouping their adventures based on the subject of the escapades, St. George leads us down the hysterical path to such chapters as "Animal Behavior," "Stupid Human Tricks," "A Place Setting for Four," and "No More Green Acres." Having grown up in the farm country of Indiana and spending their adult lives moving quite a bit and raising families of their own, the sisters have remained close even when the geographical distance between them has been immense. And through it all, the ability to laugh at their self-inflicted insanity has grounded them and given them a perspective on life that allows them to laugh at themselves. An uproarious journey from childhood to adulthood and the bumps, bruises, and stitches in between, St. George's debut is a rollicking, riotous look at two women who have the uncommon gift of making life as ridiculous as possible at every turn. Full of good-natured laughs and familial warmth, A Tale of Two Sisters is an extraordinary gift that will teach you how to enjoy life and laugh at all of its misadventures.