Me,#1 Son,"Aunt" and "Uncle" C. and "Cousin" Kate - August 17,2008


Me and One of My Very Best Friends - August 17, 2008

Word of the Day

Kidiot - A stupid child.

I didn't blog on Saturday because #1 Son came home on Friday night and slept in his bed, which only makes sense, but I'd already washed the sheets and prepped that room (his room) for guests that were going to need that bed (with clean sheets) for Saturday night. So, when HTP told me about this at around 2 AM, I got up at 6 AM so I could wake my poor son up, drag him out of said bed (his bed) in order to wash the sheets and remake the bed...again. However, to be fair, #1 Son was more than willing and it was he who washed the sheets and re-made the bed before our company arrived. And, it was he who slept on the couch on Saturday night, giving up his bed for "Cousin" Kate.

#1 Son also cooked lunch AND supper for our guests on Saturday. He took his "cousin" for a boat ride after a lunch of grilled brats, while my friends "Aunt" and "Uncle" C. remained on shore chatting. We even had a wine-tasting session after the boaters returned to shore. "Aunt" wasn't too fond of the Pomegranate wine. Too dry. I think her favorite was the Dandelion wine...but the Rhubarb wine came in a close second. #1 Son also cooked up the marinated chicken for supper that night. And the next morning? He made some really wonderful biscuits to go with some of the jam his "cousin" helped me make on Saturday. We cooked up three batches of raspberry jam. Kate wanted to learn how to make jam so after supper, I dug out the berries that I had in the freezer, brought some empty jars up from the basement and I showed her how to make jam. HTP printed out the labels and on Sunday morning, before our company had to leave, I boxed up the newly made jam to send along with them, reserving on jar of the sugarfree jam for myself. Anyway, after making the jam and listening for the "ping"....we all enjoyed watching a Jackie Chan movie (DVD). By this time it was getting late and we all knew that we had to make an early start in the morning since HTP and I had to drive into The Big City for a family reunion and our friends and their daughter had to continue on their journey, moving their daughter (Cousin Kate) into her new digs in Madison where she'll be working on her Master's Degree for the next two years.

So....that's my excuse for not blogging on Saturday. I never found the time to do more than spend a totally enjoyable day with friends and family.

As for Sunday? After waving goodbye to our friends...taking pictures first....and after waving goodbye to #1 Son, who had to return to The Big City and work....HTP and I loaded up our own car, took Gypsy over to my folks' place for the day, and headed to The Big City for a Very Italian Family Reunion Picnic in The Park. Me? I'm an IBM (Italian by Marriage), but I'm getting the hang of it. HTP and I couldn't bring any hot Italian dishes to share due to the two and a half hours it took to drive to the reunion, but I was able to make a nice Italian-style bean and zucchini salad. There was LOTS of food which isn't really surprising because Italians love to feed people and, in my humble opinion, Italian food is the best food EVER! Lots of REALLY wonderful food. Pasta dishes with Italian sausage. Italian fried peppers with sausage. Pizza Frit'. Scatzell. Cavatell' in sauce. Lots of bread. Cold salads. Pizzelle. Desserts that I recognized and some that I didn't. Familiar foods....family recipes. Lots of wonderful family stories. Talking to cousins who my husband hasn't seen in years. Meeting the next generation for the very first time. Sorting through and examining the branches of the family tree. Sharing family stories that we'd never heard before or if we had...who would mention it? I even won something at the silent auction which was held to defray the cost of future family reunions! A bottle of wine from the region where HTP's family lived in Italy, a cookbook, and some wonderful pastas and sauce and ingredients to make my own sauce. Four hours flew by and we were packing up, hugging and waving goodbye to family and friends.

After leaving the reunion, HTP and I drove over to see his folks in their new apartment. HTP's Dad saw our car drive into the lot from the window of their apartment. Now...this, on the surface, doesn't sound all that incredible but you have to realize that HTP's Dad is nearly blind due to macular degeneration. However, he saw our car pull into the parking lot of their complex and was headed down the hall to greet us. HTP's Mom was thrilled to see us. We found her knitting in the new apartment. HTP's sister did a great job settling them into their new place. HTP and I visited for a while and showed HTP's Mom some of the photos that we'd taken at the family reunion. We passed along the hugs and well wishes and promises of future visits. But...then we had to leave and come home. HTP's Mom wanted us to stay for supper but we explained that we'd already been fed. I wish I'd thought to fix a plate of food from the reunion to bring back for them to sample. HTP wished he'd taken some short videos with our camera to show his Mom...greetings from family members who missed them. Missed opportunities.

Two and a half hours and we picked up Gypsy from my folks' place. Chatted with my folks for just a little bit since HTP and I were pretty worn out after all that we'd done throughout the day (days). We're looking forward to a few uneventful days....resting up for HTP's 50th Class Reunion which is coming up on Saturday. *moan* Another trip to The Big City.

Murphyism of the Day

Fifth Law of Applied Terror

If you are given an open-book exam, you will forget your book.

Corollary

If you are given a take-home exam, you will forget where you live.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Work is not always required... there is such a thing as sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected.

- George McDonald