Spent evening catching up

The call came out of the blue, as it usually does. A family member I met a few years ago while researching our family history wanted to know if we wanted to get together at Carolyn’s on Saturday. Not having other plans, we accepted.
We had been told to bring snacks. I brought slightly burned Chex mix. I have learned the hard way that a couple of extra minutes in the oven does make a difference. I picked out the black bits and we were on our way.
We thought we knew how to get there. Me, I can get lost anywhere. My husband can find his destination to any spot on the planet every time. Even though we see these people once every year or so, and despite my husband’s protests, I did not check the map before we left.
This was a mistake.
We passed a deceased relative’s house and noted that much of the previous collection of ancient items had been relocated. We learned later that the place looked less cluttered due to two separate auctions and the judicious use of a dumpster. There is still a plethora of material needing a new home, but not as much as before.
Once we got to the proper city we realized that neither of us knew the way to Carolyn’s. We drove around for awhile before calling the guy who had invited us. We had a really bad connection and he could barely understand us. He did say that he knew how to get there but not the name of the streets on the way. He suggested we call back in 10 minutes, when he would be there and Carolyn could give us directions.
Amid a lot of grumbling, we took a tour of the town. My husband’s internal GPS kicked in and we pulled up to our destination at the same time as we were supposed to call back.
I immediately got a case of garden envy. Carolyn’s yard is tiny, but jam-packed. Any view of her yard is worthy of a magazine spread. She had a pond complete with a waterfall, a swing set, a fire pit, plants I have tried and failed to grow, and the newest addition - a cat play area. This last was a glorified dog kennel outfitted with tunnels, hollow stumps, ledges and a tray of cat grass. It had a snazzy tarp for a roof. Her cats seemed to enjoy it.
The cat palace was put in place because the neighbors have big dogs that roam freely at times. Plus a large hawk had been eying the felines when they were outside. The shelter had been built as a way to keep their pets safe. The bird houses and feeders located just outside the retreat provided additional entertainment for the cats. I wonder if our Gracie would like such a fancy vacation home.
Carolyn and her husband, her twin Marilyn and her husband, their cousin Dick and his wife and my husband and I rounded out the gathering. It was a decidedly chilly evening but it was so pretty out that we all sat outside and caught up. We learned of a distant family member who had passed on. We found out that another had his house catch fire.
Before we knew it the sun had set and we retreated to the house. There, we told more stories and admired Carolyn’s various collections. We tried the peach hard cider brought by Dick and pronounced it delicious.
At some point the conversation lagged and we bid our goodbyes. A few turns later we were on the main road home.
It had been a chilly evening and we admitted that the fire pit hadn’t put out enough heat to stop us from shivering. But the conversation more than made up for the lack of warmth.
Carolyn, Marilyn, and their now-deceased brother had been frequent visitors when I was young. We lost contact for many years and have just recently reignited our relationship. It is good to have a history with people. We have known Dick and his wife for a few short years. But we are all connected by shared ancestors. Even better, we are connected by shared interests. Getting together and sharing our stories was a good way to spend a chilly Saturday evening.[[In-content Ad]]