Goody, Goody!

When my Kids were little, whenever my dad came to see us he would bring a grocery bag full of bags of candy:  orange slices, jelly beans, peppermints, etc.  He did this even if he came several times a week.  Needless to say, the Kids were in seventh heaven; it was like a constant Halloween.  I finally had to tell him, "Daddy, that much candy isn't good for them.  Please don't keep doing this."  "Well, I want to bring them something.  What shall I get?"  "Fruit.  Fruit is good for children."  So he began bringing grocery bags full of fruit, and almost always there was a coconut.  That was a good thing, right?  Pretty soon fruit was coming out our ears.  I would hear his car drive up and run to hide the latest coconut in the oven and the bananas in the bread drawer.

I'm like one of my Kids.  Pete came up yesterday and I almost hopped up and down, clapping my hands, when he opened the trunk and brought out a grocery bag.  Goody, goody!  He brought out two mangoes, an avocado, a bag of Brussels sprouts and apple-cured bacon to go with (saying that if I loved him I would never serve them to him), and some special Calabrese sausages.  One, the local grocery store doesn't carry such specialty items, and two, they wouldn't be in my budget.  I don't ever want Pete to feel he started something and has to bring groceries every time he comes, but it is such a treat, truly.

I made a quick dinner of chicken stroganoff (minus a dreaded green vegetable), and we ate out on the deck.  I told him about eavesdropping on a conversation the crows had held earlier.  They were chatting up a storm and one of them must have told a joke because they started a throaty chuckling sound, different from any I'd heard before.  They really are amazing birds.

Pete (and Dave, also) served in the Navy.  Pete is learning now what I felt then because his son is leaving for Saudi Arabia soon with the Air Force.  Pride and concern are strong, mixed feelings.  It will, we think, be a short deployment.  Technology has advanced so far since my boys were overseas.  It used to take the better part of a month for letters to get back and forth, and now with texting and Skype, etc., it will be so much easier to stay in touch.  That doesn't mean Jake won't be missed, especially because he will be gone over the holidays.

Like vampires in reverse, my Kids need to be out of the hills before the sun goes down.  It was a good visit and a good day.