Not much call for suits, ties, dresses or nail polish on the island. Jeans and black shirts are the order of the day. Wearing white is pointless. Before retirement we never had much money for clothes and adornment but we did have a clothing budget, an iron and I treated myself to mani/pedicures occasionally.

Before retirement when the kids were young our Saturday nights were usually spent with two other couples. Between us we had ten kids. The kids had usually spent the day at swim lessons, playing soccer, or hockey. Just in case they weren’t tired enough we would take them all to family skate to ensure border line exhaustion.. We would then go back to our house and make homemade individual pizzas.  With the kids fed and tired we would pile them in front of the TV in the family room and put on a movie which we had rented from Blockbuster. Then we would close the door and retire to the living room.

In the living room we would drink, and laugh and plot parenting strategies. We shared our dreams for our children, that they would be happy and grow up safe and know that they were loved.. We would relax from our busy weeks of working full-time while raising kids.. These children all grew up together.. The ten of them when they were young… were inseparable.. The eldest boys were nicknamed the three musketeers by their teacher as they were never apart. At the end of the evening we would open the door and find our children curled up asleep together.. We would lay claim to our own and call it a night.

Today, we go to the first wedding of the gang. The second eldest of my dear friend Didi is marrying a real sweetie.. It’s a good match.. They make a great team and we could not be happier for the bride and groom and for our friend Didi. The wedding is in one of the big barns of a pioneer family. Our eldest will be there and a lot of our old friends.. It’s going to be a great Saturday night…  A little different from the way we used to spend them but it is certainly just like we had dreamed when they were young.

E is wearing a suit… I am wearing a dress.. My toenails are

are painted blue.