do weekends fly by or what?

Friday night was our second annual siblings gathering at my brother's house.  I am one of seven kids, number six.  My only sister is the oldest, then Bob, Tom, Joey, Billy (who took his own life), me, then my little brother Casey.  We grew up in a little neighborhood of Cape Cod houses and kids playing huge games of kickball in the street, with crushed soda cans for bases.  We roller skated and rode our bikes, and ice skated on the swamp down behind the hill, in the winter.  We sledded down someone's backyard hill, never asked and they never said anything...we sneaked by the side of their house with our sleds, so stealthy ha, as if they didn't realize we were back there whooping and yelling.  

My older siblings have their own stories, as my parents moved out of the city to a very rural house on a very rural road, ironically in the same school district we all ended moving to.  My mother had to wash clothes in the creek, and they ran out of food, and all sorts of other things I wasn't around for yet.  They moved to the suburbs after a few years.  We weren't rich, but we had enough.  We had a station wagon, and a camper, then they bought a camp near Lake Ontario, cashed in their U.S. Savings Bonds.  My father worked for the county, in water pollution control, which means The Sewer Plant.  He never missed a day of work, took classes at Syracuse University, and went up in the ranks, so by the time I moved out, they were actually doing all right.  

I've mentioned before that my father had a bad temper.  He never hit any of us, but when he got yelling, oh it was scary.  I grew up walking on eggshells, and one of the hardest things was that my little brother didn't seem to have the sense to walk on them.  He would yell or cry about something, things we knew our father hated!  My mother would keep track of Daddy's bad moods, she was convinced he was bipolar.  He wouldn't go to the doctor of course, so we lived with it.  He did have his ups, too.  He was also a good man,  responsible and giving.  He grew up very poor, and therefore would make us go up to kids who looked needy, and give them money.  We hated it, but we did it.   He was socially awkward, and when I met other people's dads, I was stunned.  Their dads talk to them?  Their dad sits the table with them, not in his chair in the living room, and you bring him his food, and he says, JUST PUT IT DOWN, not thank you?  

As you would well imagine, having a father like this caused some personality traits to prevail in us kids.  When he backed that station wagon out of a parking spot at K-Mart, everyone in the car ducked down, so he could see.  We wouldn't dream of walking in front of the tv when he was watching something, or  heaven forbid smack our gum, or crunch on anything.  

We tended to gather in our tiny kitchen around our mother, who was nothing like our father.  She was a cheery, look-on-the-bright side mom. She never stood up to our father, and was always wondering what she did to set him off, especially when he had his silent days, walking around not speaking to anyone.  She took in stride, and did all she could to make our lives good.  

What makes people so complex is they aren't bad people.  There is good, and bad in them.  I think that's why people stay with their abusers, because they see another side in them, or maybe they have hope that they'll change.  My father wasn't a bad man, he had a huge heart, but also a lot of issues.  

We got together on Friday, my sister Cheryl, Bob and his wife Mary, Tom and his wife Kim, and Casey.  Joey doesn't come around much anymore, for whatever reasons, which is sad.  But the rest of us, oh dear.  We have such a nice time together.  No drinking or anything, just sitting around talking and having good food.  I counted up our grandchildren, and just between Cheryl, Bob, Tom, and I:  89.  Joey has one too, so my parents would have 90 great grandchildren.  Needless to say, we didn't run out of things to talk about.  

Saturday, Paul was out hunting, so the rest of us cleaned up the house after having coffee and solving the world's problems.  Jon decided he was going to work on his four-wheeler, and we had plans too.  The girls needed gifts for their girls' Christmas party, I needed some things for our Children's party, as we picked five names to buy things for.  We went to BJ's first.  I renewed my membership a few weeks ago, it was $20, and you get $20 in rewards.  So when my total was $197 before coupons (WHAT?!  But you know, the kind of deodorant that Camille doesn't break out in a rash using was 3 pack for not much more than we usually pay for one!  And my sister wanted me to get her some Sunkist Fruit Gems, the kids asked can we please get some too...yes, but for Christmas!). Anyway, the total after was $125, I can deal with that.  

Then Marshall's...they found their girls' gifts, and I found a few things too.  They were hungry, so I let them get a slice of pizza.  I waited because I knew I was going to have popcorn...we went to see the Hunger Games movie again.  It was the afternoon matinee, showings are $7.75, not terribly expensive, and we all agreed we needed to see it again.  Need.  ha.  It was great fun.  I ran into the dollar store afterwards, and that was too much fun.  Hearth&Hand by Magnolia Christmas stockings, $1.25.  There were three different styles, I have a hard time choosing, and the girls were waiting in the car...I only bought two, because we only are doing five stockings this year, I should have just gotten five matching, but when it gets right down to it, not a need, right?

Anyway.  I had some cold leftover steak for dinner, and one KFC drumstick leftover from Friday night.  We NEVER have Kentucky Fried Chicken, but Casey brought if, and oh dear.  Bad but so good.  

A few presents got wrapped, then I wanted to just put my feet up and chill.  

All Mama Wants Is a Silent Night.  No one can argue with that sentiment.  Here's my tale of woe:  I cannot seem to get a good night's sleep.  Mostly because of one Orange Guy.  He has the loudest meow-er I have ever heard, and he uses it at various times during the night, when he decides he really needs to be outside.  This fine morning, after staying up way too late on Saturday night, he started in...granted, it was almost seven o'clock, but come on, kitty!  I knew if I ignored him long enough he'd just keep going, and I wasn't going to drift back to la-la land.  I let him out, tempering myself not to give his little rear end a scooch with my foot, rrr.  Hmm, I probably shouldn't go back to bed, it would take forever to fall back to sleep, and the dogs are all awake now, they need to go out...deep in thought, I didn't see the two huge-0 piles of...sorry...doggy barf...on the rug near the door.  smoosh went my bare foot.  Oh dear.  I hobbled over to clean off my foot, then went to get the carpet cleaning spray.  I was now wide awake.  

Pets are great.  They are cute, they are cuddly, they help protect us from the evil deliver guys:

Oh no!  UPS AND Fed-Ex!  Who should I bark at!  I'm telling Daddy!  Too many deliveries!  ROOF ROOF ROOF.  

Orange Guy, so sweet.  It's not his fault he's such a brat.  We tried to keep him as an indoor cat, but with all the coming and going and opening and closing of the door, when he was small and determined to get out, I lost the battle.  Old Kitty hardly goes out, she's mostly in here.

Anyway, I have so much to say, but nothing really to say.  Just life in general, that's all.  Paul is awake, the kids will be stumbling out here soon, we're going to church.  Camille has to be there early to play her violin, there's a music practice.  The family will probably come over later, and the house is not as clean as I would like it to be, because although we cleaned it yesterday, it doesn't stay that way.  It's not bad, but with pets, you HAVE to vacuum ever day, especially with the dogs.  Six of us do live here, so there are dishes and coats and shoes and books and throw blankets and a seltzer can, someone's socks...if each person leaves one thing, we slob it up, cumulatively.  If each person leaves two, or three, dang.  

It's raining cats and dogs right now, which sounds absolutely amazingly cozy on our metal roof.  It's dark and foggy and the tree is on, the room glowing in tree light, with the fake flames flickering in the fake fireplace, and I have my coffee...both cats are sleeping, and both dogs.  Drumming rain, feet up...I do not want to get out of my chair and get ready ha.  Have a good day!