Cat's In The Cradle

I am the grateful beneficiary of an awesome family of in-laws. Last weekend Warren and I took a trip upstate to visit his brother Glenn and sister-in-law Sharon; his sister Lynne and her husband Dom also took the trip from their hometown in Boonville (and yes, according to Lynne it is exactly as it sounds); unfortunately, his sister Ellen couldn't make it down. So the six of us enjoyed some lunch and then ventured out for a little cross-country skiing at Saratoga Spa State Park.

Now I haven't cross-country skiied in about 25 years (and Warren had never done so) so I was a little apprehensive, but with a little coaching from Dom (who is, in fact, a high school coach) I picked it up again fairly quickly. I was a little slow, partly due to inexperience and partly due to the fact that any gripping activity (as with ski poles) causes my hands to go numb and so I have to stop and let them regain feeling. Everyone patiently waited when this happened although poor Sharon at first thought my hands were going numb from the cold and kept feeling badly that she'd forgotten the hand warmers! I reassured her that it had nothing to do with the weather, which was actually sunny and quite mild. Warren did very well (he picks up most athletic endeavors pretty easily for someone who isn't really that much into sports) and we all enjoyed an hour or so of the crisp air and beautiful scenery. And...I only fell twice!

Back at the house we opened a couple of bottles of wine, gathered around while Glenn and Sharon started dinner preparations, and the evening's festivities began with several rounds of Tabolt storytelling...with a twist, though, as Lynne (not Warren and not Glenn and not even Dom) was the one regaling us with tales and anecdotes that had us howling with laughter ("Pete Lee!"). Dinner was followed up by a vigorous boys vs. girls game of "Guesstures" which Sharon is amazing at so it's too bad that Lynne and I couldn't keep up (the boys won), then a frantic search for an obscure Neil Young song ("Old King"), then a Glenn-and-Dom showdown of made-up song lyrics related to one of Lynne's more, um, bizarre stories.

Warren and I left after breakfast the next morning (after Sharon wittily provided me with this post's title, which only the six of us will truly understand) and as we drove home a wonderful feeling of love and contentment stayed with me the whole way down. I do believe I am as in love with Warren's family as I am with him, and as I send love and hugs out to Glenn, Sharon, Lynne and Dom one thing we all know for sure is that the cat is definitely NOT in the cradle!!

Blessings and Love to All.