Trump And Extended Family

What a neat day!
Early on, I went to WinCo for spinach and to Sprouts for two pretty plants, one for Ellen, one for Carolyn. Showered, dressed, lunched, and got to El's a little before 2:00. She had a few things to do, then we left for the protest gathering.
My solicitous--or suspicious--daughter thought we had better leave my car at my apartment, rather than have me drive home from her place after the party. Can't imagine why, but I concurred and we dropped it off before continuing to the protest.
It was well-attended, with about 150 to 200 people, I'd say, and it was right at the busiest intersection in town, Victoria and Telephone. El had made a sign with "Impeach Trump Now" on one side and "Trump is a Crook and Liar" on the other. As this protest had a "show us your taxes" theme, that was slightly off the mark, but there were lots of similar just plain against Trump signs. I had lettered "Hands Off Syria" on one side and "War And More War for 'humanitarian reasons' is a crock of..." on the other. There were only a few other signs with a peace emphasis, but I was glad to see them.
El and I talked to a woman who said she was speaking at a "Science Rally" in Ojai on Saturday, which is also Earth Day. I assume this is to combat bible-based anti-evolution ideas, and so on. I'd like to go, and may. We stayed until it was over at 4:00, then drove to Carolyn's.
Got there and we had a ball! Things are always fun with my nieces and nephews, and I greatly enjoyed being with Carolyn, hubby Dana, Finn,16, and Claire, 10, as well her brother, Steve, his Robyn, and their Dexter, 9. Also present were brother Frank's younger daughter, Francine, her husband, Charlie, and their three boys, ranging in age from 15 to 9. Calvin was there, too, of course, but didn't bark or show teeth.
I immediately accepted a glass of Chardonnay and we chatted while waiting for dinner. Dana, who's a good cook, had made two versions of what looked like delicious stir-fry, one with meat, one vegetarian, both full of good vegetables and, presumably, tasty seasonings. They were in two separate large pans, plenty enough for all of us.
I write "looked like" because we never got to eat it. A glass bowl somehow fell off the counter, shattered on the floor, and those in the kitchen (I was in the other room) saw some fly up and land in the pans! After much wringing of hands and some consultation, it was decided we couldn't eat it, and we watched mournfully as Dana scraped all into the garbage.
It was then decided that we'd get In And Out burgers and Francine went around taking orders, a formidable task, especially because all six of the kids and most of the adults had different wants and don't-wants. However, it was finally done and she, El, and a few others went off to pick them up. They got back, we ate, adults at the dining room table, and the kids, I dunno where.
All through the day and the evening, we talked and talked and discussed and joked. I love to be with this crowd and, frankly, especially without my siblings. Yesterday, we freely talked politics, my sibs' and my relationships with our parents (especially regarding my mother), how we regard the state of the country and the world today, and whatever else came into our heads, including passing nods to sex and death. I would find it impossible to discuss freely almost any of these topics with my friends, let alone my siblings. One of the great divides is religion, of course, and those present have liberated themselves from it, as have I. We agreed that we have a remarkable extended family--that is, descendants of James and Helen Byrne, of which there are now more than a hundred.
Of course, all this was fueled by copious amounts of wine, so El was right about leaving my car at my place. We left a bit after 9:00, home close to 10:00, and I even stayed up for a time. Slept until 8:00 and I feel great.