it's about time

always late for my family's annual thanksgiving weekend party, i do everything backwards and with little thought. today was no different. time drips through my fingers while i'm kneeding, beating, pouring or chopping my way through my recipe. end result: i pack up what's unfinished and head for the door. on the way i pick up buns i didn't order from a bakery that's supposed to be closed. before i know it, rings on woodtops are plentiful and everybody's moving through the night like pregnant women careful of their bellies. it's time to go again--this time back home. i suppose i'm ready to quick-step it to the car in the cold, but i wonder about the time. what time is it?

my nephew louis is on his way to becoming a talented artist; piles of sketchbooks, scads of practice drawings and tube upon tube of paint attest. my niece hannah has a boyfriend--what i mean to say is my niece hannah is old enough to have a boyfriend. my nephew phil has been named to the all-division football team. raymond holds a job, goes to school and courts a beautiful and pleasant girl. naomi is nearly taller than i am. deanna, who isn't taller than i am is nowhere to be seen--busy with school activities, she decides to spend time elsewhere. randy II wants to be a firefirghter; he waits for the callback. kenny jr. now has to stoop to get through doorways. joshua is big enough to move the punching bag when he hits it. emily holds conversations with adults--handily. brendan doesn't cry anymore when he get embarrassed or falls down.

between the party and the front door, i stop for a second in the bedroom to say goodbye to elaina, perched atop the coats watching her latest favorite dvd. she turns primly to me, says: "yes, see you soon, aunt stacy." a regular four-year-old queen elizabeth. oh whatta time.