The More Things Change, the More They... Are Completely Different, Actually

The kids and I arrived in Mayberry yesterday, somewhat prepared to face the first Stampede without Dad. That is going about as well as you may think.

On the bright side, my mom's siblings also arrived to spend the weekend, which, has provided some distraction from my natural tendency to compare this year to years past; this is the first time ever that all eight siblings have been together for the three-day party. They didn't even accomplish that back when they were all growing up-there was over twenty years between the first born and the baby of the family and they all did their own things as they matured into adults.

So, this weekend is pretty special and it is good to see Mom distracted by the chaos.

 

Last night, I went to the Kelsea Ballerini/Trace Adkins concert with Mom, my six aunts, and my four uncles. Usually, I attend the concert with Phoebe and Reese, but, Reese wasn't able to make the trip from Phoenix this year, and Phoebe is headed to a swim meet in Pueblo later today, so, while I got to see her for a bit last night; I was more or less on my own with the geriatric crew.

The concert was good, and I did enjoy the company, but, afterwards, trying to keep them all together on the trip from the concert venue to the parking lot was about as easy as herding small children. Or, cats.

We made it home, eventually, where I have been ever since. I watched the parade, like usual, but, when it came time to join the clan at the rodeo grounds to watch my niece and brother-in-law compete in the slack (qualifying runs for rodeo activities the rest of the weekend), I was fast asleep on the couch.

There is a rodeo this evening, followed by the dance, and; I actually have no intention of attending either. I miss my comrades. I miss my dad. I miss feeling like Stampede is the greatest weekend in my hometown.

As I've said, the more things change...

Outlaw Photo Shoot

Hugh, the kids, and I joined the rest of the family at Oscar and Emily's house for dinner last night. It was the first time in, like, twelve years that the whole family was all together and Emily had requested that I take a photo to mark the occasion.

Like most large group photo shoots, it took a number of attempts in order to achieve one picture in which all eyes were open and focused on the camera., and, as with most photo shoots; it resulted in a lot of fairly hysterical out-takes.

Once the large group photo was out of the way, we concentrated on smaller sub-groups, including the original family of five, plus the fur-baby, who, cooperated better than she usually does; maybe it was the pitchfork?

Yeah...there was a pitchfork...just go with it..

Then, the grandchildren graced us with their cooperation, which resulted in both great pictures and a workout for the boys. We are all about multi-tasking in this family.

She's the only girl, please don't drop her on her head.

Not to be outdone by their offspring, Hugh and his brother attempted a similar feat with their sister...

Even the dog is like WTF?

...we are eternally grateful that she escaped injury.

Tomorrow evening, we are hosting Porch Night for the family. I am hoping for better weather than we have experienced the last several days, but, in the event that it is cold and rainy, I am busting the porch quilts out of storage and looking up recipes for a good Hot Toddy.

Should be fun either way.

Take Care

Another summer weekend, come and gone.

Sigh.

At least we had some fun, and, for once, I am not being sarcastic when I say it like that. Oh, we had our fair share of housework, yard work, bookkeeping, bill paying, grocery shopping, and other general drudgery, but, we also got to spend an afternoon on the lake with Hugh's siblings and their families.

Hugh doesn't get a lot of opportunities to see his brother, who lives in Maine, or his sister, who resides in Illinois, so, their visit is an especially nice treat, and; Hugh wanted to do it up right, which, basically means that he took it pretty easy on their children when he pulled them around the lake on the tube. Indeed, the only minor mishap occurred when two of Hugh's nephews bumped heads during an especially turbulent moment. Otherwise, no dramatic wipe-outs or anything.

I'm not entirely certain Hugh's siblings understand the degree of restraint that Hugh was required to employ.

Ok, except for that one time...

...otherwise, smiles all around.

 

See, siblings? Your children are totally safe with your brother...totally safe...

The family will be spending a bit more time together this week, including dinner at Oscar and Emily's and Porch Night, at our house.

I'm glad that Hugh gets this chance to see them; if this year has taught me anything, it is to treasure the time that we have with family.

23 Simple Pleasures, Because 23 is my Favorite Number

1. The first cup of coffee in the morning, light on sugar and heavy on the cream.

2. A cinnamon donut to go with the second cup of coffee in the morning.

3. Sipping that coffee and donut on the porch on a warm summer morning.

4. Watching hummingbirds buzz the feeders while sitting on the porch on a warm summer morning, sipping creamy hot coffee and snacking on a crunchy sweet cinnamon donut.

5. Slipping into the space between sleep and awake, where dreams are most vivid and your body is fully relaxed.

6. New sandals that show off a pretty pedicure.

7. The warm weight of a purring kitty, settled on your chest or in your lap.

8. The smell of the earth after a rainstorm.

9. Reading a book that is so good, you can't put it down.

10. Spending time with old friends.

11. A coloring book and a box of brand new crayons.

12. Watching a beautiful sunrise.

13. Watching an equally beautiful sunset.

14. Spending a morning at the farmer's market.

15. Relaxing in a warm bath with a glass of good wine.

16. Your favorite music playing on the radio.

17. Jeans that fit just right, denim as soft as a baby's butt.

18. Candlelight.

19. Getting a good, deep massage.

20. Counting the stars on a clear night.

21. The first snowfall of winter.

22. Peas, fresh from the garden.

23. That rare moment when a scent or a song plunges you so deeply into a good memory, you feel like you have stepped back in time to experience it all over again.

Step Away From the Window, Mrs. Kravitz

One of my co-workers is going through a really hard time right now; her seventeen year old son has run away in a stolen car. This is distressing under any circumstance, but, painfully so for a woman whose husband is a leader of a local church and a highly respected member of the community.

As usual, the community Facebook message board is filled to the brim with judgment and speculation about the family and the situation in general and, this infuriates me. There are, specifically, three women who post to the board regularly, spewing their opinions and judgments and basically making the board a toxic and depressing forum instead of a useful and informative resource; I have collectively christened these women Mrs. Kravitz and, I would appreciate it if they would log off Facebook, effectively closing the curtains on the show playing out in their neighbor's yard.

Seriously, Gladys.

Step the fuck away.

That is all.

Ah, Monday, We Meet Again

I am coming off a really busy weekend and Monday seems almost like a reprieve. Almost.

Saturday, I had a rare weekend meeting with clients followed by a full day in the kitchen, making green beans and baked potatoes for a 30th High School reunion that my youth group was catering as a fundraiser. The reunion then took up the better part of the late afternoon and evening, and, after imposing on my club members on their Saturday, I felt it only right to treat them to ice cream.

Sunday, I worked at the hardware store, catching up on paperwork, followed by a full day of housework, laundry, yard work, and preparing myself mentally for Monday.

Today, I am headed to a training a couple of hours away. I plan to use the drive as a planning period for the rest of the week, because I am overscheduled and will no doubt be frantically trying to fit everything I have to accomplish into less time than I have available.

Ain't that the way it goes?

Monday isn't looking like much of a reprieve after all.

'Murica!

So, Independence Day was a week ago, and here I am, finally getting around to writing about it; luckily, procrastination is my right as an American.

When we decided to go to Lake Powell for the long holiday weekend, we knew that the lake would be crowded. Chris and Jana took off on Wednesday evening to secure a camping spot that would accommodate three large RVs, four boats, two personal vehicles, and a shit-ton of people. He did a great job, locating a spot perched above a calm cove. The RV's had plenty of space, the boats bobbed gently in the water, there was a public bathroom just a three-minute hike up a hill, and, the kids had access to a nice cliff, perfect for perfecting their cliff-diving skills.

The kids loved the spot, as did the adults, and, we spent Thursday evening and all day Friday enjoying the quiet and solitude of camp life. Or, as much quiet and solitude as one can enjoy when camping with sixteen children ranging in age from six to nineteen.

Unfortunately, the holiday weekend started a bit later for some people, and, when we arrived back in camp Friday evening, following a full day on the water, we were most displeased to find that a large group of college kids had encroached onto our space, stealing the cliff across the cove and effectively blocking the kids from enjoying their cliff-diving endeavors.

It was sort of a bummer, but, we are all adults and we understand the nature of a public recreational area.

That attitude, however, became harder to maintain once Delta Delta Dumbass broke out the beer pong table around two a.m.

The party raged on for most of the night, and, I don't know if you know this, but, water carries sound really, really well; a law of physics that we used to our advantage at six a.m., once the partiers had finally turned in for the night.

Another, lesser-known, law of physics: children wake early and they wake up loud.

We may have additionally fueled the hyperactivity of our offspring with a breakfast of Red, White and Blue pancakes (pancakes filled with white chocolate chips and blueberries and topped with strawberry syrup for those who wanted it), powdered donuts, and coffee (plenty of cream and sugar), because, before long, they had braved the scorn of the party frat and reclaimed their cliff, jumping into the water and creating epic splashes while chanting the catchphrase of the college students overheard from the night before: 'MURICA!!!!

It was all good; I'm sure the splashing, screaming, laughter and general rowdiness of our clan barely disturbed the frat's drunken slumber.

The riotous start that we got off to carried out throughout the day; we enjoyed the sunshine, boating, floating, cliff jumping, and, we did it in our best Independence Day finery.

Later that night, following a hamburger cookout, we loaded the boats and raced through the dark to watch the fireworks over the lake. As we pulled out of the cove, Delta Delta Dumbass waved and told us to be safe. We were happy to note that they weren't attempting to boat into the channel in their current drunken state and my estimation of them raised just a titch to Delta Delta Maybe Not Such Dumbasses.

And, that's the beauty of this country; people of all races, creeds, and stages of brain development, coming together to celebrate our independence in a location of great beauty and entertainment. Ain't freedom a beautiful thing?

 

'MURICA!