Yes. I needed my Yax this morning. In fact there was probably enough snow in places that I really needed boots but my sandals sufficed. Last winter I may have worn my boots about twice. It was almost like Old Man Winter was giving us a pandemic break. Is he now as tired of the pandemic as we all are? Does that mean he’ll put things back to normal this year? Like so many people are trying to do, as the virus continues to outsmart us.

I had some flinging plans today but they were pleasantly derailed by the unexpected arrival of a beach urchin. I was out in Cygnus futzing around trying to connect my phone to it so I can remote start it (long story) when someone approached the passenger door. She had stayed at the Mouse House for the long weekend and was returning my roasting pan on her way home.

I like that my girls get along so well in adulthood. Really they always have although certainly there were plenty of sibling squabbles. I often terrorized my little brother when we were kids but we also got along and continued to into adulthood. The worst moments we had were when we were all staying at the moomincabin with the grandparents, our spouses, and the grandchildren.

It was partly because there were a number of people (and dogs) in a small space. And partly because he fought a chronic illness that eventually killed him way too early. I came to understand there was a third reason, which was when my childhood nuclear family spent multiple days together, we sometimes returned to the patterns of interaction we developed when there were just the four of us and two of us were kids. Adding spouses and grandchildren to the mix was wonderful but could exacerbate those interactions on a bad day.

I’ll stop there mostly because I’m not sure I’m making sense except to myself. My mother was pretty good at staying OUT of things unless asked for advice or if she perceived that a grandchild might need protection. My dad, as was his way, mostly stayed out of whatever fray might be happening and observed.

You may be thinking something like, “Why didn’t some of you stay at a hotel?” Or the grandparents’ HOUSE, which was an easy 20 minute drive away. Well. Because it was summer and we all wanted to stay at the MOOMINCABIN. You couldn’t get up in the morning at a hotel or a house in Sault Ste. Siberia and walk a short path to a private beach. And our arguments were not all that frequent. We also had a whole lot of fun.

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