And so the familial drama continues ......

Still on the outs with Mom. Reportedly she refuses to see a counselor until I see one to "fix whatever is wrong with me that made me abandon her."

Still on the outs with Big Brother. He has me blocked everywhere including phone and social media. He won't even drive by our house anymore, choosing instead to drive an extra 10 miles to go around when he goes after firewood. We have seen him in restaurants twice and he won't even say hi or make eye contact. All because relatives who come from out of town to visit call me to host them rather than calling him to ... have me host them? Because he won't host anyone. But they are supposed to call him because he's 18 months older. Cause that's the rule, you know, eldest gets to make the rules. Or something.

Mum is still in hospice. Some weeks she seems on the edge, others she wakes up and chats (happily but incoherently). She sometimes even smiles at pictures of grandchildren. Steady on. Queenie and I still only see each other a few hours a week because her guilt forces her to spend most of her day caring for Mum.

And we're roped up in 3 choirs so there's that. But we continue getting repossession calls and collections calls for ex-son-in-law so we have that to keep us amused. We have a complete file of info on him, his new girlfriend, and his close relatives that we share with each and every respectful caller. Sadly we found out the idiot (sorry, crudity) knocked up his girlfriend who is also his favorite bar tender. The baby was born before the divorce was completed. Technically the divorce is done but Oddkin still has jerk faces name because jerks deadbeat lawjerk hasn't filed the final paperwork with the court.

Pop is still in denial. He's still sure he's the smartest guy in the room, telling nurses and aides and doctors and daughters alike that they are wrong and should follow his learned lead. yeah, he was a bus driver. He hardly ever changed a diaper or physically cared for anyone until the last year or two. He still can't cook. But he cleans...... so there's that.

Queenie has been sending little scolding messages to nieces and nephews over their conduct reported in social media postings. It has not been going well. And she doesn't get it. It's the Pop in her, she's pretty sure she's smarter and more highly regarded than she is so she has every right to call out 'bad behavior' for these youngsters to teach them better conduct. Youngsters whose lives she has not been a part of. Yeah. And these are all call-outs that she would NEVER do face to face in real life. Anyhow.

Speaking of nephews, my younger brothers son got married to a girl just months after he met her. they dates for 2 months and boom, married. And it wasn't due to pregnancy. Each decided in the year before that they wanted to be married, then just happened to meet and voila, married. It has been a stormy bi-polar romance played out on facebook.

And now my younger brother and his wife are making waves. My sis-in-law has decided that brothers have to be best buds so she's trying to push brother and I to see more of each other and do things together. She's also pushing him to work our our differences and that has turned into a fiasco.

This is your only warning- Greasy gross kids stuff from here on out.

Growing up younger brother was that thorn in the side. he demanded to go with me everywhere I went and after Dad passed Mom liked that idea so that she'd get a break. I lost many a friend over the prospect, younger brother was a big boy and any time he was not pleased with how someone was not following his orders he'd push them down and sit on them. Or he'd knock 'em over with his stomach and then squat and fart on 'em.

He'd scream or hit or break things if people didn't do what he demanded. He'd punch, kick, and sit on 'em again. He was a handful only challenged by me. I learned to tie him up in knots and shoo friends away before letting him go, then he'd run home crying to Mom that I beat him up. And she'd eat it up. And he only showered once a month so there's that.

And now Brother wants to talk about all of the bullying HE endured growing up. And, as expected, every one of his recollections have him as the victim and me or my friends as the villains who made life terrible. And he won't concede that the events he relates were RE-actions to his bullying actions. Because that's not convenient. And because Mom is validating his every recollection. And sis-in-law has been validating them since she's heard the same sad tales for 20 years.

Sigh. I need to spend more time with my chickens and in my garden.