Cousins Night

"Cousins night" is definitely different from "Cousins day." Peach decided to host our annual family Christmas dinner, so it was the usual Cousins Day group + husbands, plus Peach's sister Mandy and her husband and, for awhile, Peach's daughter and husband and Kathy's daughter and her boyfriend.

But the day started with Half Pint and I driving to San Rafael to pick up my mother. Peach's husband absolutely refused to let my mother drive all that way by herself so asked if I would drive down the 80 miles to get her and bring her to their house and the he would drive her back in the morning.

I took Half Pint with me to protect her from Daisy, who in a matter of hours has gone from looking like a little bitty thing to this huge behemoth! (She loves grabbing Half Pint by any loose skin -- tail, back, neck, or ear -- and shaking her wildly. Somehow I didn't think this was a good idea!)

So Half Pint and I went to San Rafael for lunch (because my mother has to feed you something or she doesn't feel she's being gracious). Even Half Pint had some of the home made turkey soup.

(you can see why I've always said that if there is
such a thing as Reincarnation, I want to come back
as my mother's dog!!)

We got everything packed up and came to Davis, where we picked up gifts, cheesecake and Walt and drove up to Peach's house on the other side of Sacramento.

What an absolutely delightful evening. Of course Half Pint was the hit of the night.

Kathy's daughter, Karen

She was served her dinner on the kitchen counter, if you please. She was quite the top dog, and a real frustration for the two Shih Tzus there, both of whom are blind and couldn't figure out what this little whirlwind was who trying to play with them.

When it came to dinner, it was the Cousins Day folks + spouses, Mandy & Gordon and a lovely time was had by all. Peach had fixed a delicious dinner after which we played that ubiquitous White Elephant gift game. Bob received the best gift of the night

Much to the delight of Kathy and Fred, who had hoped he would be the one to choose it.

By the end of the evening, Kathy was gasping for breath and needed her oxygen, and Walt's hand had begun to swell up from being in the down position for so long. My mother was asking for Tums for her heartburn and we all decided that the old poops needed to call it a night.

This is our fourth, I think, cousins' Christmas party and it each year it gets more and more fun. I'm so glad that we have all rediscovered each other. It is sad that it took Barb's Alzheimers to start this reconnection several years ago, and my mother's broken ankle to bring it to fruition, but it just shows that when God closes a door he opens a window.