“Family is just accident…. They don’t mean to get on your nerves. They don’t even mean to be your family, they just are.”
The sun has yet to appear but Gracie is resting on the lounge so I know the day is a bit warmer than it’s been. Earlier, while the coffee was brewing, I was out on the deck and brought in the jelly feeders to clean and refill. I’ll go back out after this and also fill the seed feeders. Company comes tomorrow so I have a lot to do today. Well, actually, I just have to shop and make beds which doesn’t sound like much, but that’s because I’ve already done a little bit every day for the last couple of days. We have an itinerary of sorts. Tomorrow night is baseball: the Cape Cod league. Tuesday is movie night, and I’ve suggested the audience bring their woolies as it will be chilly. Wednesday night is still open. The days are also open though a whale watch is a possibility. I want to take them to my favorite lunch spot. It’s on the channel to the harbor and has picnic tables, nothing fancy except great food.
When my whole family lived on the cape, relatives we hardly knew crawled out of the woodwork and came to visit. One was my father’s cousin whom I had never heard of let alone met. I don’t even remember her name, but I certainly remember her husband Ray. He said his mother wasn’t the greatest mother, and he still had occasional diaper rash from being left unattended as a baby. He also told us he was swimming in the ocean and swallowed a clam, shell and all. Ray was perfectly serious and his dutiful wife nodded in commiseration. My father’s aunt Helen, the cousin’s mother, also came to visit. I hadn’t met her either. She was the one who once had a huge shadow on her chest doctors thought was a mass of cancer. It was her change purse pinned to her slip. My mother’s Aunty Clara once stopped by to visit, but my parents were off-cape for the weekend. She wanted to know who was a babysitting. I was said I. She was appalled my parents had left us alone. I was twenty-one at the time.
My Aunt Barbara and My Uncle Lorrie came often. I knew them well, but I was never really all that excited for their visits. I had to sleep on the couch, and they brought with them cousin Bobby whom we all detested. I didn’t remember the incident, but my mother reminded me I once punched Bobby in the face. It seems he was harassing me, and, despite my polite requests, he wouldn’t stop. The punch was perfect persuasion. After that, Bobby seldom came down to visit with my aunt and uncle. He wasn’t missed.
I don’t get much company here. That surprises me as I really am a good hostess. It probably has to do with how little I see my off Cape relatives, though I really enjoy most of them. It’s the same day round trip I hate as I can’t stay over because of Miss Gracie. My sister is the standard bearer for the Ryan family and goes to most of the events. For that I am eternally grateful!
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: company, family, weird relatives
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
June 26, 2011 at 1:34 pm
It´s always like that if one lives in a popular tourist area, those strange relatives that never is seen otherwise pops up when summer comes and most of them expects full hotel service as well 🙂 🙂
I don´t get many visitors here either, mostly because all flies during summer and for the fact that I seldom visit someone else either 🙂 🙂 I like it to much here to leave even for a day or two, but I will drive north again this vacation like I did two summers ago and this time I´ll take more photographs 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
June 26, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Christer,
I don’t have flies, but I still don’t get company. This is not the place to leave in the summer. It’s lovely. Just ask all the tourists!
Please do take more pictures! I’ll take a ton in Ghana.
June 26, 2011 at 2:13 pm
It might have something to do with location. You are a ways out from Boston and NY. I spent a week at the Kennedy Compound and gotta say, it took forever to drive back home to D.C.
June 26, 2011 at 2:43 pm
It’s been awhile Kat. Oh my and a new look to the coffee !
June 26, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Morpfy,
I gave you credit for the new headings and told everyone I’d be trying one of yours each week and have asked people to choose their favorite. So far, the original is ahead 5-4. Next Tuesday I’ll put up another.
I’m still quite thankful for all these headings. They are what gives Coffee a distinctive look!
June 26, 2011 at 4:49 pm
I agree with Morpfy…I stay away a few days, look around and Viola and Violin! Coffee has a new pair of shoes…or at least a new masthead. Did you sit around and generate that all on your lil lonesome, Kat?
And I might come by to visit if’n I ever make it out to the cape again. ‘Less you treat me like Cousin Bobby. Then I’d stay away like weather in a high pressure zone
I do know what you mean about family, but that seems to have all been in my childhood past of the ’40s and ’50s. I have a number of cousins, mainly out in west Texas. They NEVER come to see me in south Texas. Two came by to see me when I lived in Austin, and that is just about in the center of the state. I go to see as many as I can when I’m out running around the state. It is just not reciprocal. They’re always seeming glad to see me, though.
Sorry you are tied down by the pooch. Or maybe she just forms the basis for excuse. 😉 Get out and see relatives while you still can. Some of them may turn out to be more fun than you think!
Pax.
June 26, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Rick,
That’s a Morphy original as is the one I had been using. He did three or four for me when I switched to WordPress. I’m trying them on all to see which one is preferred by you all.
I promise not to punch you when you visit!
Most of my cousins live north of Boston, about an hour and 45 minutes at most from here. They see my sister from Colorado more than they see me. I think it has to do more with our ages being so far apart.
I have a pet sitter who will stay here any time. My other dogs and I stayed at my mother’s house which had a fenced in back yard. Gracie would have loved staying there as she is used to coming and going as she pleases. I don’t think she’d be happy cooped up in any house plus I’d have to take her crate with us.
My aunt and uncle’s 50th wedding anniversary is Friday. I’ll see everyone then.
June 26, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Maggie has seen the suitcases so she is not happy. Her last few weeks have been filled with walk after walk as I try to get the strength back. Tomorrow we head to Shanghai and Beijing.
One of the highlights will be the new high speed train between Beijing and Shanghai…hope the brakes work well
June 26, 2011 at 10:35 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I am so glad you are well enough for your trip. It was touch and go there for a while. Have the most wonderful trip!!
Maggie will be miffed when you get home, but she’ll get over it. My cats usually do.
I want to hear all about that train.
June 27, 2011 at 10:52 am
Kat,
Thank you, we will see how we do !
Happy to tell you about the train..riding July 10
June 26, 2011 at 7:35 pm
“She was appalled my parents had left us alone. I was twenty-one at the time.”
You won’t believe how bad things are now, 20 years later.
Cheers
June 26, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Minicapt,
Okay, I’m lost with the 30 years reference.
June 27, 2011 at 6:15 am
Should I have said ten?
Cheers
June 26, 2011 at 10:35 pm
One of the interesting things about our family is that we have relatives in Italy, Romania, and Korea! In fact, 2 cousins from Korea & 2 of their friends just finished a lengthy-but-fun visit with us.
June 26, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Buzz,
It would be cool to have relatives from other countries to visit us and then go visiting them. My sister lives in Colorado, and that always seems so different than here. Since I’ve retired, I’ve been out there four or five times. Before that it had been once in about 10 years.
June 27, 2011 at 8:17 am
Minicapt,
I should have said 20!
June 27, 2011 at 10:07 pm
(Sigh)
“I was twenty-one at the time.”
… plus 20 years …
Brings us to today, correct?
Cheers
June 27, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Thanks, Minicapt!