Within the glare

We went to Brooklyn on Sunday for a barbecue in the back yard of our daughter and her husband. The occasion was the thirtieth birthday of one of our nieces, my husband's goddaughter Lexi, who lives in Orlando, whose sister lives in the city. Lexi had long planned that she would spend her birthday week in the city with her sister, and she and the cousins, including my son and daughter and their loves, and another niece, plus Lexi's sister and the sister's roommate, would all go out and sing karaoke on Friday night, and then have the barbecue with the same crew plus us old folks, the man and me plus another pair of aunts, on Sunday. 

Lexi arrived in the city on Monday of her birthday week to stay with her sister in Astoria, but by Tuesday it was clear she was down with something, which turned out to be Covid. Her sister and her roommate had her wear a mask but beyond that they displayed great equanimity as hosts, making the best of everything. Poor Lexi. Friday night karaoke was cancelled, but we all figured that by Sunday she would be five days into Covid, therefore not very contagious anymore, and if she wore her mask and we all stayed mostly outdoors we'd be okay to go ahead with the barbecue, and we'd salvage at least that part of the birthday celebration. So that's what we did. We had a lovely family time together, and no one has gotten sick in the aftermath, so I'm thinking the plan worked out okay. 

There's so much else I could write about, but I'm out of practice, still working my way back in. I can't begin to process what's happening in the world. There's just so much. I feel a lot less scared of it all lately. What's the point of being scared? It's not as if I can really change anything that is unfolding. I told the young 'uns that I lie in bed at night a weave light around them to keep them safe and invisible to the forces of ill. They looked at me with indulgent smiles that said there goes my crazy aunt again. All but my daughter. She came over and put her arms around my neck and laid her head against my cheek. She gives the most delicious hugs. 

I guess I'll just throw up some pictures and let this post be lame. My soul feels actually tired. The sky's glare feels too bright. The world itself is overstimulating. But I'll be okay. Oh, good news, the day I sent the manuscript, I woke up at 4AM that night and there was an email from my subject, sent at 1:31 AM Los Angeles time. She had already finished reading through Part One of the manuscript, and she wrote that she was "genuinely moved by how clearly" I'd captured her voice. She was really happy with what she had read so far. That was such a relief to hear. Okay, pictures in no particular order. 

We sang happy birthday and the birthday girl, in red, blew out her candles with a hand fan.

Younger sister of the birthday girl, who moved to the city after college and ended up quarantined with us during Covid. She and her roommate now live in Astoria, near to my son and his wife. There are the Brooklyn cousins and the Astoria cousins.

The newly marrieds celebrated a year this summer. Their Brooklyn back yard is quickly becoming a favorite family gathering spot.

While everyone else dressed up and traveled to get to the party, the Brooklyn cousins had an enchanted air of rolling out of bed and into the back yard. 

My son in law made me a bouquet of flowers in some of my favorite colors to celebrate my finishing a first draft of my manuscript.

My son and I have been getting along quite harmoniously lately, because I consciously changed my way of relating to him. He noticed, and admitted it made him change his way of relating to me, too. His wife says he often tells her that he and I are the same. Not sure that's true, but we are both control freaks for sure. We're both now releasing that a bit where each other is concerned. This is good.

One of my brainy, beautiful nieces. She too lived with us for a bit after she graduated college, while she was looking for an apartment. My daughter says we two have the same anxiety profile. It is true that we have come to understand each other quite well. 

My daughter and son in law really lucked out with that urban back yard.

My daughter with merch from her husband's social media content.

The street corn they made was the most delicious I ever tasted.