"Swallowers"

"My swallower is bigger than youse guys," said one of us at December's Cousins Day, when a comment was made about how fast one particular Pomegranate Cosmo seemed to be disappearing. We were in the middle of the second round of drinks by that time and high hilarity ensued. They say that laughter is great medicine and we were all very healthy at this point!

(Pomegranate Cosmo: one part vodka, half part each of triple sec and pomegranate liqueur, and a splash of cranberry juice, shaken with ice and served with maraschino cherry and a slice of lime.)

The December Cousins Day was late in the month, since we had all that holiday stuff to get through first. My mother had volunteered to cook this time (usually Peach, Kathy and I rotate on who brings food, who brings drinks and who has the month off...my mother's job is to provide the location!). We had been talking about pot roast and potato pancakes in November and, since her recipe is so good, she agreed to make it for all of us.

When we started this tradition, Peach and Kathy would pick me up somewhere around 11 a.m. and we'd make it to my mother's house by lunchtime. As the months have passed, my pick-up time gets earlier and earlier, since the earlier I get picked up the longer we all have to be together. This month, I was picked up at 9:30.

Megan, and then Ashley, from the SPCA took care of Chunk while I was gone, our old dog sitter, Jessica, back in town for the holidays, came and fed Lizzie and Sheila, and Half Pint came with us to Cousins Day. (Chunk came home sporting a collar, just like a real dog, and a sweater, keeping her warm against the biting cold.)

We arrived in plenty of time to have coffee and visit, while I set up the photo frame that we'd given my mother for Christmas.

My mother was thrilled to have Half Pint come to visit, though decided she was not going to adopt her. (She said several times she'd adopt her if she -- my mother -- were younger.) So Half Pint naturally got invited to lunch.

(My mother says, "since you haven't learned to lick your butt yet, I'll share my sandwich with you.")

Next it was on to the "65" challenge. I took one look at my first two hands and knew that this was not to be my weekend. And, indeed, Kathy beat me soundly the first game. Half Pint made sure we didn't cheat.

I turned out to be wrong about my luck, though, and ultimately I won more games than anybody else. I'm sure it was just my superior skill and luck had nothing to do with it. :)

At some point in the afternoon, Peach made her Cosmos. Drinking start time gets earlier and earlier on these cousins days too, though we haven't increased the amount we drink--we just stop drinking earlier.

By the time we were into our second Cosmo we had begun discussing everything from financial difficulties to the size of Scott women's boobs (we are all "Scott women"); from interpersonal problems to jock straps. And just about everything in between. There were some tears, the usual support, and more than anything else lots and lots of laughter. It's become our once a month group therapy session, I decided!

We did eventually break for dinner and enjoyed the great meal, after which, of course, Half Pint was invited to join us.

"Go ahead and eat it," my mother said. "I'll eat what you don't finish for lunch tomorrow." Half Pint was in 7th heaven, but not so the rest of us when she started having diarrhea in the night. She's back on plain dog food now!

Half Pint spent the night in my mother's bed, and the report is that my mother didn't get to sleep until after 5:30; Kathy had terrible heartburn and only slept an hour. Peach and I seem to have slept quite well, and I only got up once during the night and had no difficulties

There were 2 more games of 65 in the morning (I won one, Kathy won the other) and then we packed up to come home. I tried to leave Half Pint behind, but was unsuccessful. She crawled inside the sleeve of my jacket and slept all the way home, where she was nice and warm.

We don't know when the next Cousins Day will be but we are already looking forward to it!