May 28, 2000

One year ago: I discuss my fascination with late-night television, particularly Psychic Friends infomercials.

Sunday morning, Jim arrived at my parents house to spend the rest of the weekend with me. We had a family picnic at my Aunt Maureen's house because...well, because I think my aunt likes to have family picnics at her house. That's their dog, Norm, in the picture. He's such a good dog. He's kind of dumb, but sweet, and really beautiful. He loves Jim. He's always coming up to Jim and looking for attention. Usually he and Bailey (my brother's dog) play well together but because of Bailey's recent knee surgery, they weren't allowed to play. I think Norm was sad. Anyway, this picture is of Jim's petting Norm, and Norm looking happy. You can tell it's Jim because of all the freckles on his arms.

In this picture, my mom was talking to my Uncle Casey about landscaping and such. He has done such a beautiful job with his yard. His job has always been to run his family's business (a business form printing company), but I think that if he hadn't done that, he would have been a landscaper. He certainly has the skill. Every time I go out to their house, he's done something else new, and it always looks fantastic. I mean, look at that lawn and the plants and stuff in the background. He did all of that. I don't know how people get that skill, or if it's like a gene or something. I have little to no interest in gardening or anything to do with plants, but since Jim's been working on his parents' lawn, I've started to become a little more interested. Maybe when I actually own a house and a yard, I'll find it more interesting.

Various family members poured in as time went on. I kind of stayed behind the scenes and tried to get candid shots, but I'm just not a very good photographer. I need to learn more about light and stuff. My cousin Erin (in the yellow jacket) recently went to a Yankees game (just about everyone in my family is a Yankee fan -- another gene I missed out on). Anyway, she bought this super fancy camera with a giant zoom lens and got close-up pictures of the players, so everyone was looking at them. Next to Erin is Ike, then my dad, then my Aunt Joyce. The guy with the visor on is my cousin Josh, and my brother is next to him in the grey sweatshirt. My sister-in-law is sitting with her back to the camera, holding up a picture to show my dad. I just thought that was an interesting little tableau of the picnic goings-on. Note: not all of the empty beer bottles on the table belong to my brother. That table just became a repository for empties or something.

The erstwhile reason for this picnic (besides Memorial Day) was to celebrate that my cousin Josh and I graduated from graduate school. He is studying to be a physical therapist at Boston University. He's done with classes, but he still has to do some more internships this fall, and then take an exam to get licensed. It sounds like a pretty intense program. Anyway, since he lives in Boston now, he has become a Red Sox fan. You can imagine how this sits with my Yankee-loving family.

We actually had a lot to celebrate at the picnic. Besides our graduations, my brother and his wife just bought a house. Also, my cousin and her boyfriend just bought a house, too. I'm jealous of all the new home-owners, but I know it will be my turn someday soon. We just have to scrimp and save for the down payment.

Jim and I sat with my cousin Shannon and her boyfriend Tim while eating. They're the ones who just bought the house. We had a lot of fun at dinner. I know I've written at length in here just how much I enjoy spending time with my family, but every time I do it, it strikes me all over again. I don't know if I could ever live in Caledonia, but it sure is a nice place to visit. Anyway, this last picture is of Ike, my Aunt Joyce's boyfriend or partner or whatever you want to call it, and my dad, laughing about something. I'm really glad to have a family that cares about me and with whom I enjoy spending time. I know that a lot of people don't have that, or if they do, don't have an extended family that is as close as mine. I'm grateful for it, and I don't want to take it for granted. Enough sappy talk for one day! The weekend still has one more day: Monday.