FUN BETWEEN THE RAINS

Being the fickle human being that I am, I want all this rain to go away so that I can mow grass and pull weeds.  Last year I was asking for more rain so that my grass would grow lush and green and the sun wouldn’t bake my garden to brick because that makes pulling weeds too hard.  This year I wander my yard in rubber boots and pull only the weeds closest to the edges of my flower beds because stepping in any farther would mean losing those boots.  Oh, the irony of it all. 

Gardening season this year appears to be a disaster; germination of vegetable seeds is dismal, germination of weeds seeds exponential.  The trees we planted and watered faithfully last summer are probably now drowned out.  It’s so depressing I don’t even want to go out and check on them anymore.  I would love to mow the lawn but I would need an amphibious mower at this point.

Luckily this past week or so I have had a welcome distraction – a family reunion. 

The decision to have one was made three years ago, but it didn’t come together. Then again two years ago, but you know, Covid.  We came even closer last summer but couldn’t find a campground big enough to let us socially distance.  Finally, right after Christmas I was commissioned to write an invitation e-mail and we set the wheels in motion.  Come July 1^st weekend 2022 we were gathering in the old home town and catching up on a whole pandemic’s worth of family time.

The months rolled along and from time to time there was chatter within our messenger group about who was able to make it and when they would be arriving and leaving.  The excitement began to build.

Then there were only a few weeks to go.  I was put in charge of fine tuning the reservations at the campground.  One would think that the chairman of the Tourism Board would be able to handle this job but, no, there was a mix up and it was all my fault.  Maybe catching Covid was a contributing factor, who knows, but I squeezed that in too, just for the fun of it. 

Thankfully the double-booking dilemma ended up resolving itself, and maybe my family has learned to put someone more qualified in charge of camping reservations next time.

The last week of preparations got more intense each day.  There was firewood to gather and load, house guests to prepare for because not everyone has a camper, and multiple day’s worth of food to get ready ahead of time so I could visit when they arrived.  Also, I had my afore-mentioned side gig of Chairman of Tourism going on … fireworks, kid’s crafts, parade details.  Never a dull moment.

Ready or not Thursday arrived, people started rolling in, and the fun began.

The weekend itself is a blur of too much food, not enough sleep, the right number of cold beverages, more food, lots and lots of visiting, missing the ones who couldn’t make it, not enough sunscreen, snacks and treats between meals, a fair bit of reminiscing about the last time we had all been together, and all kinds of advice for the young couple about to become parents for the first time (no need to thank us, we were glad to help out, lol).  Oh, and did I mention, way too much food?

Some played ball.  Some Played golf.  Some rode their bikes and some went for pie and ice cream.  There were dogs to walk and runs to the grocery store to make sure no one starved to death between snacks.  There was even the redneck run out to the farm to view baby piggies, after all a proper host has to give those city kids the full rural experience … and by ‘kids’ we are talking ages in the 20 to 30 year range.

The weekend is over now and the travellers are all home, safe and sound.  I’ve even managed to use up my leftover food, and if it would ever quit raining I could do laundry and hang all that bedding out on the line.  It was super gracious of Mother Nature not to rain on our parade … or the fireworks … or the ball tournament … or the campers.  I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

Now I just wish she could manage another dry spell so I could get some yard work done.