Whacky, but Brilliant!

Monday morning, and the weekend seems a dim memory. Oh, but it was wonderful! There was the food, of course- cardommom flax bread with cranberry butter, exotic salad, brie and camembert cheeses, chile and lime nacho chips with artichoke dips..... oh dear, too good. (she says, staring into an empty tin of tuna that was her Monday lunch...) There were the caesars with celery, the kiwi and strawberry ciders, the dry white wine, there was the good strong coffee.

We talked and laughed and some were known to smoke colts on the deck, before the first ladies dropped off at about 1:30-- wimps. The rest of us made it until 3:30 and 4:00 before we found beds in Mary's spacious farm house. I had the insane pleasure of sleeping until 11:30 the following morning, then followed my nose back to the kitchen. The cousins were already sitting in the sun sipping coffee and munching on fresh strawberries and mangoe. Carol taught us small- potato- hick -non- world -traveller types how to PROPERLY slice and eat a mango.

I must say that there is a great deal more brilliance, power, intelligence, and confident strength in these women than I had quite taken note of before. There was no time wasted with pettiness or gossip. It was not one of those cluck- fests where a woman slinks away feeling inadequate and inferior and too flabby. No. This was empowering.

The whole thing about being the youngest now seems unfair on an entirely different level. I get to learn from my sisters and cousins who will always, always be older than me. Did they have such good role models when they were in their thirties?