Are We In A Fight?

On my side of the family, I have four sisters and two brothers. I actually have to think about those numbers before I come up with them. They don’t readily come to mind because one sister (Gail) showed up when she was 40, and it totally blew the numbers out of my head. So when someone asks me how many sisters I have, I often say “I don’t know.” Gail has now been part of the family for over 26 years.

When all my siblings get together, there are 78 relationships to manage taking into account spouses. (The formula, which I googled, is n(n-1)*1/2.) Even when a subset of us get together, there are a large number of relationships to manage.

On Dave’s side of the family, he has one sister. In that case, there are six relationships to manage. That’s … simpler. Before my side gets upset, I should point out simpler is not necessarily better. But simpler does have its advantages.

Recently, Deb and Jim spent a few days with us, and here’s how the six relationships played out.

1. Dave and Jim: They share a fondness for bourbon, Metamucil, and a sense of humor only a couple of old white guys can appreciate. You can often find them in the bathroom. (Not together though.)
2. Dave and Deb: They definitely have a big sister, little brother relationship going on. He tends to play the goof ball around her (a little more so than usual). She tends to smack him upside the head (figuratively) while being protective of him at the same time. They reminisce about “Dad” and “Maaaa” and the happenings on Joyce Rd.
3. Deb and me: We talk about our grandchildren and our children quite a bit (in that order). She is a shopper. I am not. She bought a puzzle (not a toy, Lauren) for Jake, so I bought one for Caleb. She encouraged me to buy a dress, but I said no. But she did manage to get me to buy a sweater (it was on sale.) Later I told her I regretted not getting the dress. She smacked me upside the head (figuratively).
4. Jim and me: We share a fondness for black coffee, Home Depot, and home maintenance projects. On one of his trips to the lake, he fixed a leaky toilet. When I mentioned I wanted to replace the kitchen sink here, he said “I could do that.” Next time Jim.
5. Deb and Jim: They call each other “Hon” and “My love” quite a bit. I’d say they mean it about half the time, which I find impressive for a couple coming up on 38 years of marriage.
6. Dave and me: Most of you know about this relationship. You wonder how it works. We wonder the same thing. Deb (the shopper) got Dave a T shirt that says “Are We in a Fight?” because he often asks me that question. I don’t bother answering. He then follows up by saying “Hold my hand.” I don’t.

As in my last post, I’ll share a couple of selfies. However, since the four of us are of an age where we show an interest in Medicare, none of us were adept at taking selfies. The two I share here took some effort. The last group shot was taken by a 12 year old walking by who took pity on us.