Weekend Hodgepodge
05/29/2004 05:34 p.m.

Today is a pleasant day of hodgepodge activities. By that I mean, making rice krispies* squares for cravings and light snacks, securing planting stands into the ground and hanging the hummingbird feeder (hopefully not too late for the hummingbirds to grace it), enjoying my package from Haiku Canada of the holographic anthology.

Every member had the invitation to create and send a haiku on whatever souvenir paper they liked, (even menus or receipts, Xmas tags, etc) with art or not, but the requirement was to send 200 of these so each member would receive one of each, in the package. They are loose within a front cover and back cover,in a plastic-bound package, so one can pull each one out and enjoy individually. Amazing, and it’s a nice break from computer life to sit with them and have a cup of tea and just witness all the originality and creativity. My friend, one of our haiku leaders, Terry Ann Carter, made hers on an airline suitcase tag. That meant she had to procure 200 of those tags, and hand-print her haiku on each one. On the backs, sides, bottoms, anywhere they wanted, the artists included their names and hometowns.

Last Saturday we had a lovely experience, my relatives and Ernie and I, as my siblings and our spouses, and our mom, Margaret, all drove up to Perth, a small-town about an hour and a bit away from Ottawa, for my aunt and uncle’s 60th anniversary party at the Legion. Uncle Art and Aunt Fran, (she’s Mom’s sister) treated all of us, except Mom who stayed at their house, one of my female cousins, who chose to do that too, and all of their daughters and their one son, Jim, who couldn't stay overnight) to rooms in the motor inn. And there were cousins from Art's side included too. In effect almost the whole clan at our generation-level, (it would have been too many to include all of our children) took over the little inn on a highly busy weekend in Perth, due to three weddings, and a long weekend.

At the dance we all felt a bit famous when immediate original family members were called together several times to have photos taken altogether, (and of course lots of other photos of everyone were taken) and old photos of some of us and of Mom, Fran and Art in the form of posters from computer blow-ups were all around the hall. Mom as a matron of honour to Fran, and a lovely one of Art and Fran in front of a house in Ottawa in the Gebe, at the time, and that house is still in Art's family. We dined on delicious turkey with all the trimmings (everything paid for plus all the bar offerings throughout the night) by Fran and Art. The music was super, a singer, guitarist and DJ all-in-one, who could play all our requests but his own repertoire was fine without even any requests.

There was plenty of dancing, eating, courteous drinking, and nothing in the way of speeches or poems (though my cousin compiled a large book and I placed my poem in there as had others, and memorabilia and letters). It was a delightful reunion. Seeing my cousin Jim for the first time in thirty years (ridiculously too long and we promised each other not to let that happen again) and seeing the gals from out west, and London Ont, (my female cousins) and in the case of two of them their spouses, who are great guys, was a real treat. I see my aunt and uncle a few times a year, when they come to Ottawa, or we go there, and we have lunch with them and my mom, any of us who can make it.

Besides my leaving without my pair of white pants, (temporarily left in the inn-try explaining that) and
a slip falling off one of us in front of the family (I’m not saying which lady) and Mare, relaxed over the free red wine, (who can blame her as she and her hubby are going through his cancer fight again) and falling asleep with her nightie on backwards, and a few cameras left behind, and still being hunted down, it was a huge success! I really should have taken advantage more of the mud drinks (like a Bailey's) since I couldn't sleep after all the excitement). I had a few glasses of wine, too, though. There was a get-together in my cousin's room after the party for people like us who hadn't wound down yet. It was very happy occasion, though with a sense toward the end of the night that it is a shame it’s so rare to all get together and will be a long time (if ever) that we’ll all do this again, (even with a wedding coming up, it won’t be all of us together) it had a tinge of bittersweetness.

The best part is we all get on so well, and even though I rarely see them, their family is much like ours in so many ways. My cousin Wendy and I even both brought boggle to play in the motel, coincidentally, for example. And they’re fun and natural and crazy wing-nuts, laughing etc, just like Marilyn and I with our brothers and everyone, when we get together and relax.

I think my mom really enjoyed it though it was taxing for her now in her somewhat more frail health, and I think she felt lonely for my dad, gone so many years, as he was close to Fran and Art too and when they were all dating the four of them had lots of fun. Dad and Art used to come to the house in the Glebe in Ottawa, near Ambassador Court, to take the gals out and became good friends and that lasted throughout the long marriages.

I wished he had been in some of the photos but didn’t seem to be. I had a long talk with him that night afterward. He was a good twelve years older than Art, and 9 older than Mom, so I guess that’s why he’s had to leave so much earlier. But it seemed incomplete.

Anyway, the lesson was not to let too many years pass to connect, and to not only get together for sad occasions. My family, fortunately, stresses that, getting together over fun times, and important celebrations, and also just trips in each other’s areas. My cousin Judy and her Phil are the greatest for making sure they travel a lot and make a point of seeing family wherever they can! It was Judy who got Jim on I e-mailing together which has been a pleasure. We exchanged a few photos of our kids and ourselves last year, to fill in the mystery of thirty years a bit (to think when we were little, and on through our childhoods, as kindred spirits the same age, and similar personalities, how close we were whenever we met, though infrequently even then). They keep us all on our toes and reacquainting whenever they can, and also love to receive visitors.

So this weekend it’s down to more quiet garden times etc. and resting up for a chapbook launch and reading I'm in on Tuesday night, though last night was difficult, as
my brother-in-law was ill with a high fever after radiation treatments that day, and we thought a trip to the emergency was going to be in order, and a stay-over here for my sister, but it didn’t come to that. The fever went down, and fortunately, because he did not want to budge. I was like that too, you get so tired and just want to sleep and it’s cold out right now, even at this time of year, here, and when you have a fever, you just want to be left alone in bed, but it has to watched and taken care of. So I’m sure Mare didn’t sleep a wink last night. But he’s ok (more or less) today. To think, last Sat.night how much better he felt, dancing up a storm and taking in everything, laughing...but then chemo and radiation came along again as we knew they must. Necessary evils I guess.

Now, come hummingbirds, I'm ready, do your hummzinging(a term from my friend Julie Szabo in her song).
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