In my entire family, there are very few people even close to my age. I have three cousins within five years, and another two second cousins within 3 years, but that leaves about 70 relatives that are much younger or much, much older. Surprisingly, I know, most of my family falls in the latter category. But since I was young, that fact never really phased me. With my mom being a teacher, I spent every summer, all summer, here at my cabin until I was about 14, and thereafter I would spend between 2-4 weeks here.
In other words, I have spent a lot of my life here in this cabin. With no one my age around.
When I was really young, this was an issue to me, but once I hit teenagedom, I was content enough to play cards and visit with my family. Which leads me to this summer. Just after my mother and I arrived at our cabin, the Fourth of July weekend hit. I briefly visited with my mom's cousins, and four of their blond daughters, and countless of their blond spawn. And my eldest brother was here.
(I told you, blond spawn.)
But aside from that long weekend, it's really just been my mother and I during the days, joined by my aunt and my gramma to play cards at night. Which is interesting, to say the least. Though our combined competitive drives add up for some serious, silent game play, it's pretty phenomenal that we get the chance experience that each night. I think of the plethora of people who don't like their immediate family, let alone their extended family. Or even if they like those related to them, they don't always get the chance to spend significant time with them.
Tonight, I opted to sit out on games, but sat by to knit* as my gramma, my aunt and my mother played a game of suicide rummy. (If you're lucky enough, one day I'll explain that overcomplicated card lovefest to you.) I often chimed into their conversations of current events, medicine, birds and canoe trips, but for the most part I was engulfed in my project. So engulfed that I didn't even respond to my recent name, 'Memory!' (queue facepalm in 3...2..) Yes, as I sat innocently knitting, my mother couldn't remember something, and so kindly called for her memory to help her out. So she literally called out for her memory to assist her. Only as she and my aunt began giggling at her absurdity did I realize that oh...she meant me. But these are the kind of silly stories that sum up my experiences at the lake. And I think that's pretty impressive.
And if I haven't painted a sufficient example of what cards and visits with my aging family is like, well, I have photographic back-up of course!
*And yes, I realize the irony of me discussing how I'm surrounded by a bunch of old geezers, and I'm knitting while playing cards with them. Commence laughter.
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