Sunday, April 1, 2018

There Is One Biscuit Leftover


It surely could not have been a more beautiful day. The sky was completely blue, the new leaves on the trees a sweet shy new green of their own making. I did what I usually did on these occasions and got up and immediately began chopping and cooking and mixing and rolling and cutting out and grating and chopping some more and by about nine thirty I had a frittata or Spanish tortilla or whatever-you-call-it in the oven which had in it: onions, mushrooms, kale, red peppers, tomatoes, cheese, eggs, and potatoes. Also shallots. The tiny ham was wrapped up cozy in aluminum foil and was in the oven too. I had the biscuits on the baking sheet and rising. And the kitchen looked like there'd been an explosion in it but by the time people started getting here, everything was tidied up and we were ready to begin partying.


My little Easter Egg. 
The baskets were well received although only August seemed to be truly thrilled. Gibson immediately started writing police tickets with his pad and pen. I said at one point that I had fifteen eggs in the frittata and he whipped out his pad and said, "I'm going to have to write you a ticket for that."
And he did. 

I kept worrying that there was not enough food. There were eleven of us plus Levon. And one frittata and a couple of dozen biscuits and a small ham. And that was it. Everyone kept telling me there'd be enough but we whipped up some deviled eggs out of the egg-hunt eggs before we sat down to eat. And what's Easter without deviled eggs? 
Lower in cholesterol, that's what. 

Egg hunt. 
Here the children are, being forced to sit all together for a photo before they can begin to go find eggs. 


I have about six pictures of this same exact line-up and Gibson had the same face in each one of them. The EXACT SAME FACE. 
He was a little grouchy today. 
We let the littles get a head start on finding the eggs. 





Maggie is taking out the quarter and nickel in this egg, hoping to find candy.

And then we let the big guys go for it. 



Some smarty pants Easter Bunny left two eggs WAY up in a tree. August got some help from his dad and retrieved them. 


Owen's rocking the samurai hair. He's always been my beautiful little rock star. 


May and Michael, watching the proceedings. I was SO glad they came out.


And this is what we looked like at the table where, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, there was more than enough food to go around and then some. We ate our egg pie and our biscuits and our ham and there was much passing of honey and butter and jam and hot sauce and oh yeah, the deviled eggs were okay. 

And then, after awhile, everyone left and the kitchen had been cleaned up and the tables put back in the house and the napkins and tablecloths were in the wash and then Mr. Moon finally got everything together with his boat and his fishing stuff and his clothes and his medications and his pillows and he left too. 

And it's so quiet. 
I swear, I don't quite know what to do with myself. I don't need to make a supper for my husband. The tablecloths and napkins are washed and on the line looking so pretty with the sun setting behind them, shining through the colors of cloth like stained glass and I don't have to worry about them until tomorrow when I take them off the line. My laundry loads will be so much fewer and far between. The house is reasonably tidy and I swept after every one left and...well? 
Now what? 
I haven't been by myself in so very long, it seems. Since hunting season, at least. 
Oh, there are so many things to do. I could make Maggie some new summer dresses. She's outgrown all the ones I made last year. I could go to a movie! What? What?! Haven't done that in years. 
And no, I'm not kidding.  
I can plant my cucumbers and squash and zinnias and okra. 
I can pickle some more beets. 
And Lord knows I need to mop a few floors. And clean out the refrigerator. Oh god. I don't want to talk about that. 
I can go sit on my front porch and rock and watch the view from there. Isn't that what old southern people are supposed to do anyway? 
I can sit here on this back porch and simply watch the birds at the feeder and the chickens as they scratch beneath it and watch the sky for hawks and swallowtail kites and pileated woodpeckers.
I can be quiet and I can be still. 
I can fully and truly appreciate this beautiful spot I am so lucky to live in. 
I can think and I can read. 

I can note and wonder at the blossom on the Ashe magnolia. 


I can breathe in its lemony perfume. 

I can just be. 

Love...Ms. Moon

16 comments:

  1. i vote for the just be option!

    xxalainaxx

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  2. the weather has been gorgeous here too. and to think I thought we wouldn't get these delightful days this year. I'm going to come see you. don't know when but I want to be enveloped in your loving arms.

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    1. Oh, Ellen! That's such a lovely thought! You know how to find me.

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  3. Little Magnolia in her Easter dress. So cute!

    I think it’s a good evening for a hot bath and then go to bed early. But I think that most nights.


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    1. I haven't been able to enjoy baths in forever. Since I had my first real anxiety. It's so weird. And I have the most beautiful tub. It's sort of a sin but occasionally Mr. Moon takes a good soak.
      I just want to get my teeth flossed, brushed, take a shower and get into bed. And then I am happy.

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  4. your day sounds divine........ love that you eat outside on the long table and enjoy the beautiful gardens........ and that magnolia blossom is to die for, as is your loving family
    My pork roast is in the oven....... broccoli raisin salad made, baked potato's are roasting too......... brownies are cooling, that is our day. Oh, and a gorgeous blue sky and very spring like

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    Replies
    1. Sounds yes- divine. Easter is a good time to sit outside. It's almost always good weather and the mosquitoes haven't yet taken over. And sometimes Thanksgiving is the same.
      I love pork roast. And brownies. As to broccoli- well, I eat it because it's good for me but honestly, I doubt I'll ever really like it much. Unless there is some sort of delicious sauce involved. And perhaps raisins.

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  5. We had 18 for dinner. It's also my hubby's and our granddaughter's birthday, so there was much celebrating. Our son donated a 14 pound ham from a pig he'd raised (he said the pig was a Chester White, but I thought he'd named him and we had quite the discussion about never eating animals we name). I ran out of green bean casserole, Mac and cheese, and had only two deviled eggs left (I'd made 40!). Of course, seconds and thirds were enjoyed, so I'm OK with 'running out.' Then, about 4:30 Mother Nature decided to get in on the whole April Fool's thing and it started snowing. Four hours later we've got about three inches and it hasn't let up. Right now I'm a big ole grump in flannel Jammie's.

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    Replies
    1. A fourteen pound ham! Be still, my heart. And green bean casserole AND macaroni and cheese?
      You are the boss of me.
      But really- snow?
      WTF?

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  6. Replies
    1. And beautiful and fragrant. I planted another Ashe magnolia last year. I may be dead before these trees are truly big but that is okay. I have done my job.

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  7. It looks like a lovely day. Your grandbabies are sweet. And that flower, holy shit!
    I want to travel to Florida in the next year. I have a cousin who moves to Casselberry I think it's called, last fall. I want to see huge flowers and birds.

    It's so hard to be, isn't it?

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    Replies
    1. Casselberry is right down near Orlando and Disney World. I haven't been there in many, many years. But yes, you will see huge flowers and birds, especially if you get yourself over to either the Atlantic or the Gulf.

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  8. Sitting on your porch sounds pretty awesome, actually! I hope you've had a chance to do that!

    The Easter festivities seem like they went well and everyone looks so enthusiastic -- well, except Gibson, in that one photo. Ha! I love Maggie, your "little Easter egg." So funny.

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    Replies
    1. Gibson can definitely scowl, can't he?
      I have had some good sits on the porch. I saw a goldfinch at the feeder today.
      Don't you think that Maggie looks like an easter egg?

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.