Yes, siblings have dirt on you and a history that started the day you were born. Adjusting the sibling relationship from childhood to adolescence to adulthood can be a tricky path. I am lucky that my course with each of my siblings has run like smooth water under a bridge. And even if I don't speak to all of them every day, seeing one another after a too much time is always enjoyable, if not surreal. Suddenly the world makes a strange sort of sense again and I remember all too clearly why it is that I am the way I am.
Last week my (much taller than I am) Seattle-ite older (I always have to throw that in--my only payback for the tortured slavery that was youngest sibling-hood) sister and her husband were in town for her 20th high school reunion. Within 12 hours my mom's house already smelled like her distinct Seattle-scent (a hybrid of kale, herbs and seasonings, her "hippie oils", and damp fresh evergreen forest).
Stine and I are 11 years apart. She was half sister, half momma to all of us. I recall that it was Stine who disciplined me by squirting Basic H (my "naturalist" mother's Shaklee-long-before-it-appeared-on-Oprah-version-soap) on my tongue the first time I ever said "shit". I love her hippie Buddhist massage therapist health guru self to the core. She is good through and through. She is forever the animated drama queen. We went for pedicures together and chatted away and I was reminded of how much we all talk with our hands.
And, based on these photos from our visit, you'll see that she has one pose, and one pose only when it comes to the camera...Demure. She and her (not to be mistaken with know-it-all) knows-everything (no, really, he actually does know everything and expresses it all so eloquently) husband, Lyam, were kind enough to allow me to practice with my new camera while they chanted, showed off their tattoos, and chatted. The lighting was awful, but I made do.
My eligible bachelor brother, Richard, and his boys were around at the same time, and they haven't made any appearances on my blog yet so I thought I'd show off their boyish charm while I'm at it:
All in all, I'd say it was a good day hanging out with "my people."
7 comments:
LOVE the pics. Matthew looks very James Bond like! :)
I love the pics as well. You are so crafty with the pictures. Thanks for the purple picture of me.
Basic H? Really? I thought I only used lemon juice and cayenne.
We do all talk with our hands, don't we?
PS - I love the picture of us.
Cute collages my friend. I love all the pictures. Its been fun to have all your out of town siblings swinging by this summer :)
WOW!!!! That is cool. Good to know that siblings get along when they are older. Cause right know that might not be the case. Oh, and FYI it seems to me that you are on the phone with my mother everyday... or maybe every other. But still you get my point... right! So you are wrong with the whole "Don't talk with them everyday part"!!!!! I have seen my mom talk to you forever. I do have evidence. Just not at this moment. <3
Ha, I remember the evidence. One of the many times that have stood out to me is one night, well night where I live, you called my mother when we where watching Mansfield Park (movie). Does that ring a bell. Anyway, as I was saying you guys talked forever. OK I'm not saying hours, but still just sitting their with nothing to do, but stare at a paused movie screen with your mother sitting their talking to your aunt. Anyway, I was just illustrating that you talk to my mom a lot. Anyhoo, that is my evidence.
I really missed out seeing Christine and Lyam. I'm so glad you got to spend some time.
Just to point something out, I was the one on the end of the cayenne thing. Thankfully she got in quite a lot of trouble. And yes, basic-H is not that great of a taste, but I think i got use to it.
Do we get to go get a pedicure when I come?
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