Thursday, April 27, 2006

I Love My Family

I was in Iowa this weekend for a memorial gathering for my Aunt Barby, who died about a month ago after a few years of suffering from the dreaded c-word. My Uncle Al, cousin Ann and her kids Dana (the one who visited me last summer) and her brother Jack came from New York, and my folks hosted a luncheon and then we buried her at the Crane plot, where I’d never actually been but where a couple of hundred years worth of Cranes are buried. It’s a nice spot, right across from Old Threshers, and there’s one of those big old obelisks marking the area. It was sad, but the weekend overall was joyful, and I am very fond of Ann and her offspring. Jack seems to be taking after his big sister with a talent for drama, appearing recently in The Crucible! The redbuds were in bloom – there are about a hundred on the property but I always seem to miss the short window during which they’re blooming, and it’s something to see – also the lilac bushes smelled heavenly. We all played Frisbee golf and our other new favorite family game, Lie-brary, and laughed a lot. We’re a funny bunch. No really.

And guess what I saw from the window of the train on the banks of the Mississippi? A huge, regal, CRANE. I don’t think I’d ever seen one before.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey Betsy - You know that the kids and I are fond of you too. I felt so joyful a lot of the time that weekend which seemed sacrilegious since we were there to bury my mom who was one of the great ones. Still and all, joy at any time is something precious and I owe a lot of that particular joy to you. Love to hang out with you in the good times and the bad. Thanks for making me laugh so much and for being equally bad at frisbee golf so I didn't feel like such a spaz. To family, cranes both real and human.