Shoppers

Have you ever encountered what I tenderly call the “zombie shoppers.” They usually appear in the middle of any aisle ed- effectively cutting off to or fro transit. They stand there, glassy eyed and under some mysterious spell rendering them decisionless……unable to even to discern what they’re staring at or whether they need any specific item or not. The choices, colors, shapes and shapes overwhelm their senses and they become mindless wanderers within the marketplace. They can found everywhere, even in the produce section. They pinch tomatoes, turn the lettuce heads over, and even smell the oranges all without reason or, usually, purchase. Look for them the next time you go shopping…..in any and all departments. They’ll be comparing bacon packages, squeezing the bread loaves or absently reading the cereals’ nutrition labels. But the clincher is always that their carts are in the middle of the aisles with a line of people trying to pass from either side. I pity them, if they are this mesmerized by shopping, I never want to see them deciding on which recipe they should use for whatever (if they can actually choose) they decide on cooking.

Sorry

Well, I complained about “no” snow….and, it happened. We received over 8 inches of the fluffy, white stuff. It is BEAUTIFUL! Unfortunately, my husband and neighbors are really not pleased with me. If that wasn’t enough for the day, in the morning paper was a too-close-to home cartoon. The wife is saying how wonderful and beautiful the snow was. The husband, shoveling his way out of the snow, retorts that it depends which side of the front door you’re on. Oopps. Remind me to keep my mouth shut from now on.

Today we had a whole 15 minutes of blue sky and sunshine….hope that makes up for the snowfall.

Have to go….I’m on hot chocolate patrol………

Snow…bah, humbug

The forecast for today was snow….and it did….for about 35 seconds. The driveway looks like someone dusted it with confectioner’s sugar. But it is colder and really gray out there so maybe the winter advisory will still reach us. It has been a really mild winter up here with above normal temperatures and below average snowfall……and Spring is only two months away. Boooooo……..I want it to snow!!

I’ve always liked winter better. I cannot abide hot weather. If the temperature hits 90 or above, I tend to turn green and throw up……not a real nice situation for a beach party. So, if I had my way, we would enjoy three months of spring, three months of autumn, and six months of SNOW. And I promise to only put up our Christmas lights and tree for two months (or two and a half).

Lunar Lunacy

Yes, I watched the eclipse last night – on the computer since it was snowing here. It was fairly spectacular and I can see why everyone calls it a ” blood moon.” But everyone up here has gone temporarily crazy over it. There are predictions of impending doom and gloom and some neighbors are really quite freaked out. I want to shout, “it was an eclipse….that’s all!” What causes people to expect the worst in every event?

However, there is a certain reaction to full moons……..our emergency room would overflow and the police reported all sort of looney incidents. Who knows? Maybe, there are some things that defy reason. The nuns who taught me would turn pea green if they heard me now….I’d probably have to write a 500 word composition on the evils of superstition. And I grew up in a big Irish family and neighborhood which believed some superstition was connected to almost anything…..or anyone. Oh well, maybe someday I’ll write them all down and we can laugh about them…..knock on wood.

Commercials

I HATE THEM! They are either talking about bladder incontinence, mother-daughter talks about fungus infections, lawyers who wish to sue every company in America, or hundreds of medications for any condition. What really fries me is that most of the these drugs have horrendous side effects up to and including death – I would rather have the original condition.

And…..the more popular the show or event being shown, the MORE commercials there are. That’s why I almost never watch television. So I ‘ll talk to all of you real soon……..I have a book waiting to be read,

Honest…It’s True

Some people might question the validity of yesterday’s blog, but I swear it is absolutely true. Auntie was my mother-in-law’s sister (there were fifteen children all together) and were raised on a farm. Hard work demands high energy and big meals to sustain you. The family apparently ate huge breakfasts, probably about daybreak, and enjoyed noon time dinners that were just as sumptuous.

After the work day, the evening supper was much lighter and usually were comprised of the earlier meals’ leftovers. There was lots of food and it was all home raised or grown by the family. The pantries in the old houses were humungous and filled to the ceiling with home canned “stuff” – everything else was raised, grown, cooked and baked by the family, usually the wife and daughters.

I remember one Thanksgiving when my in-laws had a sort of family reunion…..I have never seen so many people in one house for one meal. All the family members brought side dishes, fresh baked breads, stuffing, sauces, relishes, olives, pickles, gravies, cakes, pies and fruit….a lot of everything. As everyone took a place at the table, which extended across the dining room, living room, and into the hallway and T.V. room, Mama proudly presented “the FIRST turkey.” THERE WERE THREE TURKEYS, TWO HUGE ROASTS, AND AN ENORMOUS HAM. There was enough food to feed a small army……which we surely were!

Holidays now are much quieter now, the older folks have passed on, there are no more 15 children families, and we get most of our meal from the local supermarket We still bake our breads and pies, but there are no chickens in the backyard and our turkeys come from the local turkey farm butcher. We still usually have two turkeys (sometimes we sneak in a roast or ham to replace one turkey)…..there is also plenty of leftovers for everyone to take home. But we cherish the memories of our yesterdays with Mama, Pop, and many, many, many relatives.

Come to think of it, there’s still some leftovers in the freezer……..hum……maybe we’ll have some for dinner tomorrow.

Finally

I have to get my Christmas decorations out….it finally snowed today. Not a lot, maybe a little more than an inch, but it is BEAUTIFUL. My husband does not share my enthusiasm (unfortunately, he has to shovel it) for the white stuff. But, I am in my glory! It probably won’t last long but, in the meantime, I’ ve made one snow angel and threw a bunch of snowballs with the kids. Maybe I am entering my second childhood. That’s funny, considering I do not think I’ve ever grown up out of my first childhood.

My husband’s aunt passed away this week – she was 104 years old. God bless her. Auntie was one of a kind, very petite, very animated, and very energetic. And she was a fantastic hostess and cook. Years ago my husband and I visited Canada and had a delightful stay in a little town north of Quebec. The first morning we awakened to the most delicious aromas. Breakfast was a true feast, all prepared by Auntie, who must have gotten up before dawn to prepare it all. There was bacon, ham, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, toast, and crepes served with jellies, fruits and freshly whipped cream. Fresh coffee, friut, and cookies were last on the menu.

We tried everything until I thought we would burst….Auntie insisted we have seconds and thirds and we obediently complied. After about two hours of non-stop of eating, we started to clear the table. NO…NO…NO! We were guests we were told, no kitchen duty for us. We were instructed to go get washed and dressed for our day…..and as we left the kitchen, Auntie (in absolute seriousness) told us that dinner would be ready in about an hour. And when she said dinner, she meant DINNER! Roast beef, fried chicken, poached fish, potatoes, vegetables, hot rolls with butter, and pies she had baked earlier (with more whipped cream), and coffee or tea and more fruit.

Auntie spoiled us rotten, kept us totally entertained with family stories and local lore in both english and french, and made our visit truly wonderful and unforgetable. No one could or can ever delight us to the extent we experienced that week. We will really miss her and her gentle ways, mischievous laugh, warmth and fantastic personality. Memories of her will be with us forever and are a fantastic legacy of love from a diminutive, wonderful lady.