It is a mystery

we were supposed to go camping last weekend but the weather was going to be bad, so we switched to staying at my brother's place, I took off work thurs and fri. my brother got covid so we switched to this week, so I took off work thurs and fri again. My sister caught a stomach bug this weekend but is mostly better and mom my just texted to cancel the whole thing because "everyone wasn't feeling well" which I'm pretty sure actually means that she's worried about getting farm work done (inferred from other texts about getting stuff done) and didn't actually ask someone to cover the farm stand for this week, so they couldn't possibly leave the farm.

it's so fucking infuriating. especially to have plans change at the last minute

it feels like they aren't willing to make the effort to come and see us. or that the farm comes before anything ever including spending time with their family. I go to the farm all the time, but I'm making the effort. and neither of my siblings go to the farm like I do because they have other stuff they're doing and it isn't as easy to get there for them.

And I get that the farm takes up a ton of time and effort, but they don't have livestock. they simply cannot manage to make time to take three whole days away from the farm the whole season.

I'm now fully out of vacation time since I already planned to take two days off at the end of the month to go to a friend's wedding. I usually bank a bunch up over the winter, but I used most of that in April for women's worlds.

I'm just annoyed and disappointed because their solution is to meet up in November. when we already see each other a bunch around the holidays. I'm already scheduling stuff for November on the weekends and I know I won't have any more vacation days to take off work because I normally use all those days in October for farm stuff.

arg. I'm going to sleep on it before I respond to the text.

 Christmas gift shopping is complete.

Well. Almost. 

The main things are all purchased but I've got a few extra little things to get, wire strippers to go with a solder kit, candy to go in a bag, that sort of thing. 

The only thing I'm not 100% sure on is my brother's girlfriend. She doesn't always come up and my parents usually get her a gift card (they get all the girlfriends gift cards, including Jade, who more or less is on the same level at this point). I don't know her super well so I don't really know what to get her. My brother is basically useless when it comes to christmas gifts, he prefers to give the steam wishlist pick which is getting silly at this point. He also never communicates so shrug

I might be able to give her an extra mug I ordered from Effin' Birds (delightful swearing birds) but I also don't remember if she's the type to laugh at that sort of thing. I dunno. 

Either way, I think all the gifts that I need to personally handle right now have arrived, the one I placed an order from today I sent directly to my parents because I was afraid it wouldn't get here in time and Jade's gift can be opened by her when it gets here. That's a commission so it will be a couple of weeks and I won't be in town at that point. 

I am feeling good though, because I think all my gifts are pretty good this year. Some I talked directly to the person and some I made a good guess.