In Which We Celebrate Our Owen

Last night I offered Lily the option of having Owen's party here instead of at her house. It wouldn't be that big a deal. Everyone was bringing food, the house was already relatively tidy, and we have plenty of room. But mostly because Lily has been working so many hours and having to deal with things after work that are legal in nature related to the divorce. They are quite stressful, as you can imagine. And then, on top and above all of that, she has three children to take care of! So it just seemed ridiculous for her to have to deal with one more thing and I offered our house. 

She said then she'd think about it and she thanked me and then, this morning, her neighborhood had a sudden and unexplained power outage and the original estimate of the time it would take to repair put them way into the afternoon and so I repeated my offer and she talked to Owen and he said that yes, that would be fine. 

And so it was. I made iced tea and the balls and wieners and cleared off some surfaces and did little things like that. Rachel and Hank got here first with an entire bounty of cheeses and crackers and pickles and olives and smoked salmon. Rachel is the queen of party food! It took her forty-five minutes to get it all plated and arranged. She also brought chocolate Rice Krispie treats. And various types of hummus. I mean, it was crazy. Then Lily showed up and Lauren had gotten fruit and vegetables and cupcakes and Lily had gotten Owen's request which was a birthday cookie cake so the desserts were piling in. They also brought a bunch of chips. And THEN, our friend Kelly came with her son Wiley Cash with the most gorgeous tray of deviled eggs with her own pickled jalapeños. 

Photo stolen from Facebook. 

Jessie and Levon could not come. Levon woke up with a fever and congestion and was feeling pitiful and Jessie wasn't feeling so great either. But August and Vergil came, along with Sophie and I do believe that Ms. S. may have had the best time of anyone. She raced around with the kids playing ball in the backyard and tried to beg treats and was just the happiest little pup. She's a good dog, that one. 
So there was a great feeling of festivity and celebration. 

Look at that almost-fourteen-year-old boy wearing a shirt to make his MerMer happy. Isn't he beautiful? And he is so sweet. 

That's what Boppy and I got him. It's what he wanted. 

I should have taken a picture of Maggie when she got here. She was wearing her rainbow princess dress and a pair of gold high heels that had been Lauren's in high school. She was a vision! After about fifteen minutes though, she shed the heels and the dress and changed into a much more comfy shirt and shorts and bare feet. 

After everyone had been here for about two and a half hours, I made the announcement that we needed to get this thing rolling along. Time to do the birthday thing! And then I said, "Because I don't want y'all here all night long!" which is something I don't think I'd ever said before but no one seemed to mind. 
Mr. Moon was leaving to go to the coast for a fishing trip and as I told everyone, I needed my alone time. I think they all understood. So out came the cookie cake and cupcakes and ice cream and Owen blew candles out and we all sang to him, and presents and cards were opened, as you can see above. 

If I could change one thing about this house, I think I'd ask for a bigger back porch. It's a little skinny for thirteen people. But we manage. There were too damn many mosquitoes to take it all outside. 

And now everyone is gone and almost all of the leftovers with them. Somehow I got the vegetable platter which is great as there will be soup in our future, and I kept a few of the balls and wieners which were very tasty and very popular. Jessie sent us a text this morning that said,  "Vergil couldn't stop laughing when I told him about the wieners and balls. He said our family is very unique."

Haha! 

I did not let any of the cookie cake, cupcakes, or ice cream stay in the house or cheese either although I would ten thousand times rather eat cheese than ice cream. In fact, I sent it all home with the bringers because we just do not need it. 

It is quiet and peaceful, once again. I have the AC on but will turn it off and open some windows shortly as it is supposed to get down to 63 degrees tonight (17.2 C) which is almost frigid for us after this eternal, hellishly hot summer. Mr. Moon has reported that he made it to Lanark safely. 

And I've enjoyed today. We had yet one more gathering here in this Queen of the Grandmother Houses and as always, I could feel the house happy to stretch its walls and floors out in welcome. I love that my grandchildren know my house as well as I do and feel so very comfortable here. Vergil helped Glen connect the Wii back to the TV so that will be ready for the next sleep-overs and Owen insisted that I keep some of the Capri Suns that they'd brought for the same purpose.

As always, when we have these gatherings, I wonder how many such events have been held in this house in the 164 years it's been here. I doubt I could count them all. In the merely twenty years we've been here there have been at least two weddings, one after-life celebration, many Thanksgiving and Easter dinners, a whole mess of pre-Thanksgiving parties, and a hell of a lot of birthday celebrations.  This house has seen me through some of the worst times of my life and some of the most joyful.

It is, of course, the fall equinox which is the season in which the shifting and shorter light call us to remember, to reflect, to regret and rue and reach for meaning. A time to look at what is before us with the coming shadow of winter's darkness, to look behind us with the brilliant light of summer's sun. 

A time, in fact, perfect for pondering. 

I so very much enjoyed being with my unique and funny and loving family today. I only wish that May and Michael could have been here but they were working and I also missed Jessie and Levon. With all of the birthdays coming up, though, I am hoping to get to see them soon as well. 

It's been a good day. 

Love...Ms. Moon