Ten Commandments of Reunion Etiquette

1. Thou shalt not forget ordinary manners nor common civility, just because thou art amongst brothers and sisters.

2. Thou shalt tolerate the tiresome relative (at least for a little while).

3. Thou shalt not play footsie with a distant cousin or thy cousin's spouse.

4. Sniping and carping about a reunion's lack of organization is an abomination.

5. Thou shalt orchestrate spontaneous praise unto the reunion organizer.

6. Thou shalt agree to disagree, and steer clear of such topics as the Vietnam War, abortion rights, gay marriage, gun control, Waco.

7. Thou shalt not use intimate details of your kids' lives as conversation fodder. (Boasts of accomplishments are acceptable, but be discreet.)

8. Thou shalt not reveal devastating family secrets unless thou hast arranged therapeutic support systems.

9. Thou shalt not publicly criticize the bad manners or poor behavior of any child not thine own.

10. Thou shalt flatter thy kinfolk. All nieces tap dance divinely, all babies are beautiful and all aunts look as wonderful as ever.

Source: "Family Reunion," by Jennifer Crichton (Workman Publishing, $13.95)

Wood Shop

Terrellee decided to do a craft project today. It involved lumber and power tools. She bought 2x6's yesterday and today we went to Rupp's to cut the wood. She traced the letters on the 2x6's and then got instructions on how to use a band saw. Away she went. She cut all the letters except one when the band saw started acting up. Rupp came to her rescue. He and I were able to get it back up and running and he finished the last letter.
She also learned how to use a table router. Though she did not use it she knows how. She spent time using an orbital sander and belt sander smoothing all surfaces.
Now she get's to stain and paint the letters which spell Summer.