Column: Family members know how to laugh at each other, themselves

Staff

Published Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Tim Engstrom, Pothole Prairie

One of the joys of returning to the Midwest after living for five years in the Northwest is seeing more of my extended family.

And one of the agonies about coming back to the Midwest after living five years in the Northwest is seeing more of my extended family.

Yes, yes, I know. We're all supposed to wax poetic about family this and family that and put a smile on it, too, but can I just come out and say what everyone wants to say?

Yes? I can? OK then.

They drive me nuts!

They all have ideas about what everyone ought to be doing. They say little bothersome comments, and when they say them they don't know they are being bothersome.

I'm just dying to tell you what one of the comments was, but I can't because family reads my columns. Actually, I can think of quite a few comments that were thrown out the last time I was around the extended family.

And they said them, I just smiled and lived with it. That's what you do. We all do.

Then later you tell your wife a sentence beginning with: “I can't believe (insert relative's name here) said Š” and usually ending with “(insert relative's name here) is so hypocritical.”

And then you throw out “that one time,” and after you're done with the tale your wife says, “Yes, yes, dear. Oh my, look at that field of corn, honey.”

And yet I still want to see more of them. I guess it's kind of like that in families. We're all in it together. We have petty disagreements sometimes because, well, when you get right down to it we happen to be a lot like each other.

We sort of - well, maybe, you know - enjoy each other's company. It's “nice” to

see them. You can always talk to them or at them or at least spoil their children. And they've known you forever. Hey, they used to wash your backside in the bathtub, or you sprayed Bactine on their open sores after a bicycle accident.

You are responsible for that permanent scar because you at the young age of 8 made one of the finest diving backyard tackles in history with the help of a Weber grill.

OK, I didn't do that, but I heard a story from a friend who did. My brother-in-law DID hit a line drive into my hip once during a friendly oh-so-slow pitch game of workup softball. And I remember when we floated the Raccoon River and the canoe with my grandma and my dad in it turned over. Oh, there was that summer trip to a lake near Park Rapids that went awry, but now the whole trip is remembered in a folly and fond sort of way.

And geez, there's about 5 million games my cousins, my siblings and I used to play as children.

You love these people. I love these people. And they drive me nuts, but it sure is good to have them around.

This weekend Lisa and I are headed to the Engstrom Family Campout on West Okoboji Lake. There are some things you should know about this campout: It's not really a campout; it's more of an annual reunion that long ago was a campout. People married to the Engstroms never seem to go as often for some reason.

If you go, you better be real good at sitting around and jibber-jabbering about not much at all.

You also better be real good at finding deals at flea markets and rummage sales.

You might find yourself singing John Deere songs by a campfire or being dragged behind a boat or getting lost on a bicycle. It's always a great adventure, because that's the way most of us look at this whole family thing. If we're going to be relatives, we might as well make the most of it and do something a little bit crazy more often than not just to keep them guessing.

Why? We're really good at laughing at ourselves.

Food tip

OK, the next time you are at the grocery store, don't buy spaghetti sauce. Buy two regular-size (not mini-size) cans of tomato paste and make your own sauce. How?

Add water and some olive oil and stir to the desired thickness. Then as you cook it add whatever ingredients you like - basil, oregano, wine, garlic powder, salt, ground beef, honey. Whatever your heart desires.

It's simple and tastes better.

(Tribune Managing Editor Tim Engstrom's column appears every Tuesday.)

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