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Show Ft j C - i J Twins Mable Biggs and Alice Klitgaard celebrated their 89th birthday Jan. 8. By MICHELLE EMERY The two small-framed white-haired white-haired women sit opposite each other and fill the room with dialogue dia-logue of 89 years of being twins and best friends. Alice Forward Klitgaard and Mable Forward Biggs just turned 89 years old on Jan. 8. Bom and raised in South Wales, they immigrated to the United States about four years apart from each other. Mable came to the United States in October 1924 and got a job working for Primary Children's Hospital as a nurse's aide. Alice then followed and arrived in Salt Lake City in 1928. She also worked at Primary Children ' s Hospital along with her sister. The twins were the 10th and 1 1 th children in a large family of five girls and six boys. Alice loves to tell anyone she meets, "What about that? My mother had nine children and then twins." Grandma's Ange SadMottw, We ere, go andsee tf Grandma s ready to come to tea. ' So I stepped genttefcrg p-toe Andtookamornenttotckeapeep And there was Grandma fast asieep, WtthaifflesrrteMmecFS Sheislovhgyoualtfrevdle. "Grcrdm dear, it is time fortea." She opened 'her eyes end 'looked 'at me, Wypet, tve just deemed of a title cnge, who tdssedme lovrglyon my cheek' J dchttethere was ortyme, But took herhaxi end we went to tea and two great-great-grandchildren. Alice and Mable also take pleasure in confusing the grandchildren by asking them, "Which one is your grandmother?' Alice and Mable have many things in common and enjoy many of the same hobbies. They enjoy crocheting, knitting, collecting dolls and singing. With Alice singing soprano and Mable singing alto, they used to sing together all the time. Their favorite song is "Land of My Fathers,' a Welsh song. They also both enjoy reading and reciting poetry, with their favorite being ' ' Grandma ' s Angel" a poem they learned as children in Wales. The Lawrence Welk show is another an-other hobby of theirs. Every Saturday Satur-day night at 7, you know where they'll be. How about basketball? It's another favorite of Alice and Mable. Don't get them started on which teams, though. Alice wouldn't miss the Jazz for anything and Mable has to watch BYU in action. f 1 ... X - . - r i fir i " X lib - )"The best part of d K. it all is we are j K still friends." N Mable Biggs j As children, their mother had a difficult time telling them apart. They dressed alike during the time that they lived together, so they remember re-member fondly that their mother would call from the door, "Alice or Mable, whichever you be, come inside." in-side." Although all their other family members also immigrated to the United States, they are the only two members of their immediate famil)Q living. Mable says her secret for a long life has been "living the Word of Wisdom" which means eating right and keeping her body healthy. Every morning Alice says, "Call life a good gift, call the world fair. ' ' That's the secret to enjoying life, and apparently it works. The twins have been throupa lot together and have alwayiQ joyed having each other toT through it with, ' 'The best part of it all is we are still friends," Mable said. At age 16, twins Mabel and Alice, shown above holding their friend's children, spent their childhood in their birthplace South Wales. The twins delighted in trying to fool their mother about their identity when they were young, a prank they carried into adulthood. 0 K"Call life a good A gift, call the j world fair." N Y Alice Klitgaard xj Alice says the best part of being twins is always having "company," someone you know will be there for you. Mable also likes being different and the attention atten-tion that being twins brings. When they were younger, they did many things together and enjoyed being with each other. But, of course, what's the fun of being twins if you can't confuse people some time in your life? After they were both married with children, Alice and Mable took pleasure in asking their children, "Which one is your mother?" June Torkelson, Alice's daughter, says she could never tell which was which. One of June's favorite stories is when she first began dating her future husband. Bob. He came to the house to pick her up, and it so happened that Mable was visiting that day. Alice was in the front room with rollers in her hair when Bob came in. She then left the room and Mable came in "only Aunt Mable had her hair done up" and had no rollers, June said. Bob just kept saying "My word, she got those rollers out fast." Alice had three children; Mable had nine. Between the two of them, they have 12 children, 67 grandchildren, grand-children, 103 great-grandchildren T |