Saturday, September 23, 2023

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






37 comments:

  1. Oh, that Owen. What a beautiful young man.

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    1. I am so curious to see what his man face is going to look like.

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  2. your house, your love, and your family are carrying all of you along,,,,,,mostly in joyous celebrations. your house will no doubt continue doing this.....as will you. Owen is a gorgeous child......they all are......but bless him on his 14th birthday....a day I recall well.
    Susan M

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    1. I think everyone feels perfectly at home here. It is that kind of house- it is just purely homey. It's a wonderful place to gather and be comfortable.

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  3. Happy Birthday Owen, and I'm glad it was a good day!

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  4. What a bounty of good snacky things ... all things a 14 year old, very handsome young man would love! I love those long black grapes ... they are the best grapes ever! Sadly, they are not keto friendly! 😕
    Thanks for letting us peek in on the festivities ... you do have a fun family!

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    1. Owen mostly wanted the cocktail wieners, I think. But he liked the fruit too. Glen loves those grapes too.
      Our family surely does laugh a lot.

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  5. Owen has THE best smile.

    Hope Levon and Jessie are back on their feet shortly. And I'm still chortling over balls and weiners.

    Chris from Boise

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    1. I think he does have a wonderful smile. I love to see it.
      I believe that Jessie and Levon are feeling better. I sent home some balls and wieners with Vergil for them yesterday.

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  6. What a perfect day. I think 14 is a very special age. Childhood is well and truly gone and yet still teetering on the edge of adulthood with all the promises it holds - just out of reach.
    We have our Spring equinox and everything is stretching and putting out feelers to see if it's warm enough yet (yes, it is!).

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    1. You are so right about what being fourteen means. And my Lord, the hormones! It's a miracle that any of us survive that period of life.
      Yes! It is about to be spring for you! Our planet does very well at balancing the seasons, doesn't it?

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  7. Oh this makes me so happy. Our families are so precious and so wonderful. I hear about toxic families all the time and I'm so grateful that's not what I have. We tease each other, we love each other, we rely on each other in tough times and we know how to play. I am so hoping with the end of my silly silly job I will spend more time with those girls in California. Your post made my heart swell with joy and love. And, my dear Mary, you had something to do with all that love, you know. The people I grew up with did terrible things and I was determined to break the cycle. And I did, by golly. Shiny beautiful love.

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    1. You know, Hank thanks me all the time for our family. He has known so many kids whose parents are just so unyielding in their beliefs about queer issues and who are weird about it, even if they are "accepting" and he also loves how we are so welcoming to his friends and always have been to all of our kids' friends. Of course, all of this has enriched all of our lives so much. We just purely love each other as I know your family does. You and I did absolutely break some of the cycles of lies and trauma and abuse. I am so glad we were able to do that. I love you, Beth.

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  8. I'm sorry a few people had to miss such a perfect party and hope the unwell ones are now well again. Owen is indeed a beautiful young man. And that spread of food! I wanted to dive into my screen here and share in it. Love the tablecloth too. I haven't used a cloth in years, it's just a bare table here with stuff that lives on it permanently. I liked all the leftovers going to homes too, no one needs to cook for a day or two.

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    1. This tablecloth is a real cheapy. It's entirely made of nylon or something not quite fabric-like but it feels sort of Mexican to me and makes a terrific celebration tablecloth, I think. I have become more enamored of table cloths as I age.
      I was so sorry that several of our family could not make it too. May's hours are ridiculous and sometimes people do get sick.
      Sigh.

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  9. I'm sure that old house of yours is so happy storing all those wonderful memories for you! Happy birthday Owen!

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    1. You know what? I love the thought of all the memories being stored in this house. Not just the ones we've made and are making, but all of the ones going back to 1859. It has been a good home for so many.

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  10. Happy Birthday to Owen, he is indeed a handsome young man! We are seeing our grandson today, who was 11 on Friday.

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    1. Hurray, Frances! I hope your visit was wonderful.

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  11. Happy Birthday to Owen! 14 really is a special age. Is he in high school now or is that next year? One day he'll look back on growing up in the Moon family and it will be a blessing to him. Nothing like starting life surrounded by a loving family.

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    1. I should know that for sure but I think he's in High School this year. Yep. Pretty certain of that. And I'm pretty certain that all the grands know they are loved by us all.

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  12. What a banquet and what a beautiful Owen! Such a treat to get pictures and a virtual party here! It seems so happy and right.

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    1. It was a beautiful day and for once, we kept it sort of simple!

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  13. Perhaps it is the fall equinox, the shorter days and longer shadows that have been making me feel unsettled, almost like waiting for a baby to be born. I'm glad y'all had a lovely birthday celebration and thank you for reminding me to ponder.

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    1. Yes. Fall can feel that way- as if something, something is about to happen. I wonder why that is.
      Sometimes I think I ponder too much!

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  14. I'm glad Owen had a good birthday celebration! I can't believe he's 14. That blows my mind. Too bad not everyone could be there, but these things happen, right?

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    1. They do indeed. Which is one of the things that made me laugh so much about the show "Parenthood." That family somehow managed to all get together for dinners and kid games and breakfasts and school plays ALL THE TIME! How in the world did they do that? It just isn't realistic.

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  15. I can't believe Owen is already 14. he wasn't a baby when I started reading here but he was very young. no cool nights here yet, in fact they're predicting 98 for today and I am just plain weary of it.

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    1. I know you are, Ellen. Even with the day time temps being in the high eighties, it still feels so much better. And to wake up to a cool morning is just heaven.

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  16. Owen. "Our" first. The one you and Elvis tended with halp from the Rolling Stones. What a beautiful human. That celebration sounded perfect.

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    1. Yes! I love him so much for wearing that shirt. I know he did it to please me and it really did. And he asked me if I was going to get more chickens. I think those chickens are a major memory for him. Remember when Elvis was as big as he was?

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  17. Happy birthday to your beautiful Owen!🎉Xo, Rigmor

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  18. 37paddington: happy birthday Owen. Such a beautiful young man. I hope Jessie ad Levon are ok.

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