Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Another Epic Lunch


Maggie and August had a grand reunion today. Of course, it's really only been a month and a few days since they've seen each other but that's a long time when you're three although I have to keep reminding myself that August is about to be four. Half the people in our family have a birthday the last week of September and August's is one of those.
Lunch was perfect for me. All of my children were there and my husband as well. Only three of the grandchildren but Owen and Gibson are big schoolboys, of course. Rachel only got to come for a little while- she had work obligations. But my friend, the perfectly named Liz Sparks got to join us as did Lauren so we were a large group and as always, a noisy, busy one.
Maria Maria did us right and I got a chili relleno and it was, without a doubt, the best one I've eaten outside of Mexico. All three of the children shared Maggie's chicken fingers and french fries and there were still enough to take home. Maggie wanted to sit next to August and so she did as you can see.


Such beautiful children. And they were very well behaved and polite and Maggie quit dipping her tongue into the ketchup as soon as I suggested that dipping her french fries might be more suitable and satisfying.
August spent some time on his Boppy's lap, of course.


And when the phone came out Levon had to see what was going on too. I'm not sure what they were looking at but it may have involved videos of hemp processing which is a project that Mr. Moon is interested in now that it's legal here in Florida. 
Hemp might just save this planet, y'all. 

It is SO good to have Jessie back in town. At one point I looked around the table and tears welled up in my eyes. Having all four of my children sitting around one table fills my heart completely. 



May had to leave fairly early to get back to work but the rest of us hung out and talked and laughed for a very long time. 


Liz helped Maggie put her leftovers in a container to take home. Liz's beautiful granddaughters live a few hours away and she doesn't get to see them nearly as much as she'd like to but when she does see them, she does the very best and most fun things with them. I've never in my life met a person who knows how to celebrate this earthly existence more than Liz. Whether she's hosting a formal English tea with scones and clotted cream and hats and gowns or kayaking rivers in the deepest, wildest parts of Florida, she is always living her life to its fullest. I just purely love that woman and I do not know what I would do without my Liz and my Lis. 
They are the best women I know that I did not give birth to. 

We finally ended our lunch and went out to the parking lot where Hank got out his treasure box. When he does his trivia shows, he does a thing he calls "Hoarders Delight" where he lets people pick out prizes from things that other people have brought that they do not want anymore. These prizes can range from books to pictures to small appliances to, well- anything. And he always lets the little kids pick out stickers or a little toy or something and it makes them so happy. Jessie has been cleaning out her cabinets and brought some Revere Ware that she is pretty sure she's not going to be using and so all of the grown-ups got to pick through that. I find it hard to believe that anyone would get rid of Revere Ware. I mean- I am still using my grandmother's pots and pans and SHE WAS BORN IN THE 1800's! 
But Jessie has plenty of cookware and after she and Vergil spent the summer in a cabin with very little in the way of luxuries, they have realized that they don't need a whole lot of what they have and I think they are very wise to learn this lesson now. 
Reduce the clutter. 
And that is something I need to work on as well. 

And then we all kissed and we hugged and we did it again just to make sure that we'd not missed anyone and we all went our separate ways. 
I stopped on the way home at Big Lots and bought every can of these olives that they had.


Sadly, there were only four. Lily discovered these and I bought two cans a few weeks ago and they are the best martini olives I've ever had. I just looked them up online and I can get them from Amazon for $7.95 a can. 
WHAT??!!
At Big Lots they cost $1.50 a can. 
Good Lord. 
Well, in case of emergency I know where I can find them. 

A friend just reported in from St. Augustine and the storm has passed them and they are well. I am so glad to hear that. I can't even talk about what they must be suffering in the Bahamas. It must be pure hell and I mean that quite literally. Meanwhile here, we could use a bit of rain and a few breezes. It's hot and getting hotter with no rain forecast for a week. I am not, however, complaining. It's just time to get back to the river.

Oh! Have any of y'all watched The Righteous Gemstones? We've watched two episodes and we're already hooked. 
Damn, but I love me some John Goodman. 

Love...Ms. Moon




6 comments:

  1. A month is an eternity for little kids! And those baby cousins are so cute together. (I know they're not technically babies but anyone under the age of 12 seems like a baby to me these days so....) :)

    Your family getting together reminds me of how much my mother in law loved that kind of thing and how full her heart always was when all of her children were together in one place. I miss her so much!

    We've watched The Righteous Gemstones, too. I also love me some John Goodman!

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  2. I'm going to have to check Big Lots for those Olives now!

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  3. "Having all four of my children sitting around one table fills my heart completely." I understand this to my core. Beautiful family!

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  4. $7.50 for olives???? Where are they grown, on the moon?? You have the sweetest days of anyone I know...

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  5. It is so good to see May! And it's good all the cousins are touching base and life is resuming "normal", whatever that may ever by.

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  6. I'm with you, having all of my children sitting at one table with my grandkids sitting on someone's lap is just so sweet and fills my heart with pure joy. I love how your family meal turned out.
    Yes 3 and 4 seems like years to these sweetie pies. I know that time for kids is not the same for adults. It passes way to fast for us and slower for them.

    I love the smiles on their little faces. They grow up so fast and I am reminded of that often.

    I love a good Mexican martini and always order extra olives. I have never had an olive stuffed with cheese. I have had them stuffed with lots of other things. Bacon and chili powder and of course with peppers. I will have to check Big Lots when I go. Whew $7.50 a can is really expensive. Too rich for my budget.

    Have a great day tomorrow.

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