Here they come..

Preparing tonight for the arrival of tons of family, coming in for the graduation party my SIL is throwing for my bro. It's been way too long since I've seen these folks, isolated as I am by the difficulty of getting time off from work (actually time off that corresponds with school holidays -- C and I have plenty of time off, just not at the same time-- kind of makes road trips difficult).
My dad and stepmom are coming with their kids, my sister is coming in from the midwest, and various S.O.s are joining in. There's even a rumor that my dad's cousin from NH might tag along. It feels like thanksgiving -- so much so that we're roasting a turkey tomorrow. Yes, a turkey. In August. I don't go in for that deep-frying stuff, so we're going to let the oven and the central air battle it out in a grudge match. J will do the honors of preparing the bird, since I will be at work on day shift tomorrow. Tonight I'm making a peach pie and a couple of salads, and we picked up tons of rolls so we can all eat turkey sandwiches all weekend.

Thank God I have the weekend off! More time to hang out and catch up with everyone. Not an easy task -- I'm the oldest of eight siblings, flung liberally across the continent, and we're all very poor letter writers. I count it as one of my greatest flaws that I've never made a habit of keeping in touch with people on a regular basis. Fortunately no one (I think) holds it against me, because we're all in the same boat. The only one of us who is beyond reproach is my maternal grandmother, who regularly writes to kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, siblings, cousins, old friends, etc. Never misses a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas. I don't know how she does it.

OK, time to start blanching and peeling those peaches! Picked them up at the farmer's market and tried one yesterday. They're perfect!