Wuthering Hyders

Musings on Heirs


My sister-in-law, Alicia, is pregnant. I'm excited for them, as they have been married longer than we have and this is their first child. That makes one sister-in-law and three cousins of mine who are expecting at the moment. I'm staying away from the water. I'd better warn my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Betsy, too. I'm pretty sure she and Will are planning to wait awhile before adding a human baby to the family. I think Patrick, the puppy, is enough entertainment for them now. Of course, I think they're going to make excellent parents. That's why they're our choice for guardians if anything should ever happen to us. Not sure about the kittens, though...

Back to Alicia. Because she is my sister-in-law, her child will be my niece or nephew, effectively making me an aunt. Obviously. I'm going to be Auntie Em. Yes, I find this funny. Rather than being annoyed by it (like my younger brother Sam who became "Uncle Sam" when Abby was born), I'm going to embrace it. Maybe I'll even get a house in Kansas. I like "Auntie Em" much better than "Aunt Emily". Aunt Emily sounds like a little old lady. Someday, that may suit me, but definitely not yet!

Speaking of Kansas (or, rather, Missouri), Betsy's having a sort of bachelorette getaway this weekend in Kansas City and I want to go. I'm invited, that's not the issue. The problem is that Heath is going to an arena football game with Will and both of my parents are out of town. It's not fair. I want to have a night out with the girls, even if I only know one of them. Besides, I'll bet they could use a photographer. I'll bet there will be drinking and I would love to have a chance to do that with just girls for a change. Anyone want to volunteer to watch my kids this weekend? Haha. Oh, well. Maybe next time, right?

Watching "The Other Boleyn Girl" the other day inspired me to do some reading about English history. I read a book yesterday that covered some 300 years including the Tudors and Elizabeth I. It was rather bare bones type stuff, but it was interesting. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that the British historian who wrote the book seems to have a very low opinion of Shakespeare. For a man who is, quite possibly, England's greatest bard, giving him a mere few sentences seems like an insult. Chaucer and his pervy tales got an entire chapter. Needless to say, I think it's absurd to have given Shakespeare so little.

After finishing the first book, I began one on the wives of Henry VIII. I'm already intrigued by Anne Boelyn, but I want to know more about each of the six women who endured such a man. Divorced, beheaded, died... Divorced, beheaded, survived. Thank goodness men can't behead their wives for not producing a male heir these days. At least not here in the United States. Not legally anyway. Although, I'd be safe, I suppose. I feel for poor Catherine of Aragon, though. So many stillbirths and miscarriages. I don't know how she kept it together. Especially married to Henry. I'm pretty sure I'd have been beheaded fairly quickly.

On that note, I'm going to do some more reading and be grateful for the fact that I'm not medieval royalty.