The Baby Shower Then and Now

This cake was the one at my baby shower when the Little One we welcomed was Son. Yes, I still have the sugar booties in my freezer. Aren't you glad that I did not put them on the cake that we had on Sunday? From other pictures, I see 15 women and 5 men at our house that day. Not everyone was family, as employees of our business and my college friend was there. Cake and punch were served.

Daughter hosted the party at our home for its central location as our family members are located throughout the Midwest. Her plan started strictly as a baby shower for Daughter-in-Law, and Son wanted to come and open presents too. She accomodated Son and the baby shower grew into a family reunion as she included the guys. Twenty-three people were present with their presents: Hostess;Host; Daughter; Daughter's Boyfriend; Son and Daughter-in-Law; my parents; Host's parents; Father's First Cousin and Wife; my first cousin, his wife and daughter; Aunt; Daughter-in-law's mother and two sisters; Host's Sister and her daughter; and Brother1 and Niece. Naming my family that way is awkward but I hope my readers get the gist of who was there to welcome our new Little One. Little One will have twice as many family lines as the parents did as the family tree expands.

Daughter planned the menu of meat tray, two pasta salads, fruit salad, Bandelero beans, crudites, chips and carrot cake, and she prepared most of it. Mother of Daughter-in-Law brought a rich chocolate cake decorated with ganache and fresh pansies.
Daughter planned three games and we only played one. She bought door prizes but not everybody got theirs.

A third of those twenty-three people at the shower were not yet born at the time of my own baby shower. Family parties give family members an introduction into the roles that they will assume as the next generation, and parties let us change. For example, that time in my life sparked an interest in family stories and genealogy. Family parties will have some traditions and we will still remark about how fast that younger members grow and get prettier/better looking. Yes, we will still remark that time goes by so fast since we last saw each other. Reunions are a good time for people of generation 1 and 2 to say that we welcome generation 3 as young adults who have their own family traditions to make. We will have generation 4 to tell, " You are getting so big and so good-looking!"

Sunday started the beginning of the season of Family Parties. We will be going to a birthday party, three graduation parties and 4th of July picnic within the next seven weeks as even more generation 3 members have parties to celebrate their rites of passage into adulthood. That need not make generation 1 and 2 feel old. There I will be, generation 2, asking, "Have you checked out my blog?"

Life is Five Days Long

Atlas Moths
Photo taken at Butterfly Farm, George Town, Grand Cayman, April 26,2006


Life is five days long for the Atlas moth. She spent six months inside a cocoon for her transformation into the largest moth and then has only five days to find her mate and lay 250 eggs that will become the next generation of caterpillars. Excuse us for being voyeurs but we are here at the Butterfly Farm for only a few hours.
Our guide was an artist who used wonderful metaphors to explain the life cycles of caterpillars and butterflies. Five layers of skin so that the caterpillar can double in size four times before the fifth layer becomes the chrysallis. For some reason, the guide thought that we cruise ship tourists might connect with their purpose of eating until one outgrows ones own skin. Once inside the chrysallis or cocoon, a caterpillar is reduced to DNA soup and becomes a totally different creature.
The butterflies who are poisonous can take the time to stop for pictures. The ones who aren't poisonous are more likely to be the ones who flit and are more difficult to photograph.
The Hurricane of 2005 in Grand Cayman destroyed its citrus trees and endangered the indigenous catterpillars and butterflies that depend upon those trees. During the cleanup and restoration of their human lives, many people brought the caterpillars they found to the Butterfly Farm for sanctuary until new citrus trees are planted. I have concern for how the ending of this story will be written as I observed the building of resort complexes and strip malls on this side of the island.