There have been some pretty exciting things happening in our little corner of Ohio lately. I keep meaning to blog about them, but then I get distracted by squirrels, or naming my new car, or, you know, stuff. However, I cannot hold out any longer; it is time to tell.
First of all, The Duchess, 007, and this little sweetie pictured above, aka The Little Philosopher, moved back into town. They had been talking about moving back to Dayton for a while, but things kept just not working out. And then something kindof awesome happened. Long time readers might remember Ivy, our friend from Cincinnati who married Tree, a dairy farmer in Wisconsin, and settled down to have babies (four at last count, I believe), and write books (only three so far). Ivy’s parents live here in Dayton. I run into them from time to time, and am always delighted when I do.
It turns out that Ivy’s grandmother, the mother of Ivy’s father, has been having some health problems. She’s still sharp as a tack, but she can’t get around very well anymore, and while she wants to stay in her home, it would make her children and grandchildren (and great-grandchildren) feel a lot better if there was someone more able-bodied staying there with her. When Ivy’s father heard about The Duchess and 007’s desire to move back to the area, it seemed like an answer to all of their prayers. The upshot is that as of Labor Day weekend, they’re back in Dayton! I have to say, it’s lovely to have them closer to us. I’m hoping to get to know both 007 and LP a little better – something that’s hard to do from several states away.
Second, recently it was confirmed that we’re going to get to see Big Brother, Sunny, and Honey again. We haven’t seen any of them since shortly after Big Brother’s wedding, and since then their family has expanded. How sad is this: my little nephew, my only one, the first grandchild in our family, still doesn’t have a nickname because, well, you just can’t get to know someone well enough for that long distance. However, soon all that will be at an end! All of them will be coming for a nice, long visit this Fall. We’ll have them the whole second half of November, including Thanksgiving, and into the beginning of December too (though not, alas, for Christmas). Which is all dreadfully exciting. I can’t wait to see Sunny and Big Brother again, and maybe have another doll for Honey, and hold my little nephew in my arms, and see him walk (walk!), and … yeah.
It has been so long since we’ve seen them, and they’ve been through so much since then. I’ve thought a lot about them, but honestly I’m not very good at long distance relationships. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve been able to really keep in touch with long distance, and that’s without using my thumb. I think of people fondly, and keep them in my prayers, but when it comes to writing letters and then actually mailing them, or remembering to pick up the phone when it’s not midnight, I’m awful. So it will be very good to see this branch of my family actually in the flesh, where I can talk to them, and be with them in person.
All of this prospective family togetherness is making me feel like doing something big to gather everyone possessively and cozily together underneath my own roof. A big dinner party, maybe, with a huge turkey in the oven, and a vat of mashed potatoes, and one long table strung together through both the dining room and living room, and everyone crowded around it on chairs mostly borrowed from Mom & Dad. Dinner parties have been on my brain anyway lately, as the weather has started to cool off enough to entertain again (she writes as it’s 90ºF+ outside). It would be awesome. And totally impractical, and way over-ambitious.
Beyond that, the house really isn’t ready for entertaining. I’m supposed to be painting and plastering the upstairs bedroom that used to be Rosie’s this Fall, so I can move into it before the weather really gets cold. The idea is that we can seal off the sleeping porch where I currently sleep, and maybe save some on the heating bills this winter. Plus, my house really isn’t big enough for that kind of family gathering. It’s not just having enough room for everyone to sit down and eat, but enough room for people to sit and talk,and babies to run around, and kids to play without being on top of one another. So it probably would be smart to let my little fantasy of having everyone warmly together in my house go. But it would be so much fun, and those are famous last words for me. So… we’ll see.
What do you guys think? Would having the whole family (17 adults plus 5 kids – 3 in highchairs) over to my house for dinner be awesome, or insane, or both?
"That's a dancer's leg, Margaret!" 