Semi-Daily Scribbles

It's difficult for Aunt June to concentrate. She has a hell of a time remembering where she's supposed to be. There is always a doctor's appointment, or a Thanksgiving dinner lurking around every corner. Aunt June often remarks how she feels like she's running in place, though she manages to make an appearance wherever her presence is needed. She is the only one who knows how to make the oyster stuffing. Thank God she remembered to come to the mansion today. Jenni and I can take care of just about everything else, even keeping this wily bunch of ours entertained. There's certainly enough wine to go around. No one can say we Stones don't know how to let our hair down, but sometimes the gloves come off, too. There are situations when the slightest vestige of civility is the only thing that keeps us from hurling crockery at each other. When things get dicey, Aunt June's fog lifts and she shifts into hyperaware mode. Up to her elbows in shells, her long salt-and-pepper hair slipping out of its topknot, she is wicked accurate when it comes to getting our attention with her pearl-handled knife.