Yep, we had all the ingredients of the perfect Blackwell family Christmas, just like the old days when the kids were little.
The music: No typical holiday tunes for us--we listened to lots of Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Albert King, Will Oldham, and Michael Hurley. We were also treated to some live music after Christopher arrived with his guitar. He and my son-in-law, John, played for quite a while--delightful! Nothing could sound more joyous. I wish I had a video, but Christopher would kill me for posting it anyway.
The food: Courtney made a big-ass pan of lasagna using an old family recipe (right off the side of the box). She also made brownies and a reuben dip and we munched all day long.
Drinks: No eggnog for us; we're a beer family. Courtney and John stocked up on the Saranac holiday sampler, which was a treat for me since I can't get Saranac out in Las Vegas. Court's almost 6 months pregnant, so she had NA beer and was a real good sport while the rest of us enjoyed the good stuff.
The conversation: A lot of families talk politics or sports when they get together; our conversation revolved around blind people. Christopher posed the question, "Do blind people clean up after their seeing eye dogs?" and we all thought good and hard about that one. We pictured them feeling around the ground and then sniffing their hands like, "Oh, I found it!" Then I said it must suck to be blind because how do you know when you're done wiping? Everyone agreed. Yeah, that's the kind of stuff we talk about.
I'll upload more photos when I get a chance. Today is Connor's 11th birthday, which he shares with my nephew Andy, who is 9. So tonight we're heading out to my brother and sister-in-law's house for the dual birthday celebration. One party after another...
Hope you're all enjoying a relaxing weekend!
8 comments:
Ahahahahahahahahaha....only your family could come up with those! Love it!!!
Happy birthday, Connor!!!
My baby's birthday is tomorrow. Make sure you check out my blog, k?
Heck yeah that's an incredible gift for Connor!
Your family is "something else" :) How come that does not surprise me?
Glad you had a wonderful Christmas!!
Connor is one happy camper! So glad that your Christmas was spent with the family. There's nothing like just hanging out and being yourself.
I sure wish I could hear the music too. That would've been great!
I'm glad you made it safely to Albany to be with your family.
Sounds like you're having a great time-- Connor is such a cute kid!
That looks like one Happy little boy:)
...and seriously, that conversation is hilarious!
Love the poop talk. Sounds like your family and my family would get along great! Glad you had a great holiday. Have fun at your book signing.
Interesting questions actually. I have no clue on whether or not blind people pick up after their seeing eye dogs. But I would guess they do. I've heard that when you lose one of your senses your remaining senses are heightened to compensate for the loss. Maybe the sense of smell on blind people is such that they can locate their dog's droppings on scent alone. Kind of like a nasal/olfactory sonar or radar (Nadar/Olfactor).
As for knowing when to stop wiping... Maybe that's who scented toilet paper is really for. As long as the TP still smells like shit... keep wiping, when it smells like "fresh lavender" or "morning spring mist" or some other corporate concocted pleasant scent then you're done.
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