God. All I Talk About Is Food

Well, I think we all knew that this is what was going to happen last night. And it turned out to be a really sweet and fun meal and since I always cook too much, there was plenty for all. We hadn't sat at a table with Jason for quite awhile and it made me happy to have him join us. I think that Owen and Gibson really appreciated it too and I know that Mr. Moon was glad to have him. Jason is a good guy and he is the father of three of our grandchildren and always will be. Divorce can be a destructive thing for a family or, it can be something that yes, is hard and often heartbreaking, but can be far less devastating if all the parties involved can remember that love is what brought two people together to begin with and love is what created the family and love for the children is the overwhelming thing above all that needs to be maintained. 
When my mother divorced my father, I was five and did not see the man again until I was thirty. In those days, there was really no push for the father (usually) to maintain a relationship with the children after a divorce. When I divorced my own husband, my children were very young and I knew that no way in hell was I going to let them grow up without knowing their father and we worked it out. It wasn't always easy but I think that it was worth every bit of the emotional work both my ex- and I put into it and to this day, all of us are on very good terms including Hank and May's stepmother and their Daddy Glen. 
Now Lily and Jason are having to do that intricate dance and again, it is not easy but by god, they make it work and they even all go on vacation with each other, current partners and all. I truly admire that. 

And on with the story...

I slept so late this morning but Gibson slept even later than I did. Oh wait, let me back up- that sweet, sweet child asked me to read him two of his old childhood favorite books before bed and that made me happier than anything he could have done. We read "The Little Red Hen Makes A Pizza" and "Professor Wormbog in Search For The Zipperump-a-Zoo." 

But you already knew those would be the two books, didn't you? 

Gibson did the voices of the slackers, the dog, duck, and cat who refused to help the Little Red Hen do anything until she asked them if they'd like to share her pizza. He's been doing this ever since he was so little. He knows how much I love reading out loud and I think he is proud that he is the grandchild who still asks me to read these books. 

So yes, as I said, he slept late, I slept late, but pancakes and eggs and bacon were made and eaten before noon so all was well. Mr. Moon had to go do something deer-related after breakfast and so Gibson and I had a good chat and then I got to some chores while he did the virtual reality thing. I took him home later on and Lily and Maggie were about to go have a girl's lunch at Wendy's and Ms. Magnolia asked me to come too and despite having vowed a few months ago that I would never darken Wendy's door again, I went because it was Maggie. 

She played her first game of soccer this morning on a city league team. And guess what? She was the only girl. 

Watch out, boys! Maggie's here to play! I'm proud of her. Lily said that when they first got there and she realized she'd be the only girl, she didn't want to stay but Lily convinced her and the coach was very supportive of her and told her that every year they have one girl on the team and she's always one of the hardest-working players. 

Here she is at Wendy's. I have a story to tell about that place but I won't bore you. However, I will say that it will be a cold day in hell before I ever darken a Wendy's door again. But. Isn't Maggie beautiful? Look at those eyes. 

And honestly, I had a great time. Owen joined us after he got off work. The Publix where he's employed is just a very short walk from the Wendy's. 

Here he is, ordering his food with app on his phone. 
Jeez. This world is too much for me. 

And now Mr. Moon has gone to collect him as he is spending the night tonight. He and his grandfather will get up early in the morning to go duck hunting and then they'll probably go to the Waffle House for a great manly, post-duck hunting breakfast. They'll be ready to eat and warm up. It's cold here for our thin southern blood. 

I know you've been wondering where the pictures of Maurice are so I took this today. 

She was stalking me while I watered the porch plants. Those fronds you see hanging down are from one of the palms I planted in front of the porch that Mr. Moon claims to hate because they block his way up the steps. My plan has always been that they will grow up and their fronds will not interfere with porch access. 
And they are growing. 

Okay. I admit we will probably be dead by the time they achieve any great height but I am proud of my palms. 

And here I go to make my third grandchild-requested meal in a row. 

I do love my babies. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Friday In The Village Of Lloyd

Here's another picture from yesterday that Lily took and I just had to post it because it's so darn great. 

I slept until nine this morning and I have no shame about it. None. And I am going to sleep good tonight, too. Gibson is here now, playing Wii games with his grandfather. They seem to be having a very fine time. 

Oh wait. They've just left the house to go out to the garage to get things set up for Jason and Owen who caught a deer this evening and are going to clean it over here. So many boys doing boy things! 

Or, you know- people doing people things. 

In the spirit of deer season, I have made venison meatballs for our supper per Gibson's request. Well, he asked for meatballs although he did not specify venison. But that's what we're having. There will be spaghetti, too. And I have a loaf of bread rising. Amazing what not-dead yeast can do. 

I have barely stopped all day. I stripped the guest room bed and our bed, washed the sheets, remade the beds, did another load of laundry, and made another batch of fruit cakes. 

I'll get those rum-wrapped tomorrow. That may be all the fruitcake I am making this Christmas. Not sure. I'm making those small loaves to give as gifts and think along with the two larger cakes I made a few days ago, I'll probably have enough. No one needs too much fruitcake although, as Bill Wharton, the Sauce Boss, the one and only Florida Bluesman who cooks gumbo onstage while he plays, often says, "Too much is just enough." 

And he should know. 
And I should know that that is a terribly written sentence with too much in the way of commas. 

Anyway, I am tired. I've run the dishwasher twice and I need to go unload it again and make the spaghetti. Owen and Jason just pulled up to the garage so I'm sure there's a lot going on down there but it IS Friday night and Mr. Moon better get his butt up here and make me a martini. 

It's chilly, y'all, and going to perhaps get into the freezing zone tonight. I'm going to bring in my baby mangos and my beloved sea grape and the rest of the plants can just root hog or die. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon

We Were Thankful. We Still Are

I rolled out and cut out about forty biscuits before 8:30 this morning but after that, I really did not do much in the way of cooking until just a little while ago when I started our supper. 

Turns out that brunch at Lily's is much, much, MUCH less stressful than a big Thanksgiving dinner at my house. 
Huh. 

That's just some of what was brought in or made at Lily's. There was also bacon, grits, two different egg casseroles, sausage gravy, pumpkin croissant bread pudding and spanakopita. Oh. And biscuits.

They looked better than they tasted. They were just sort of heavy this year which is weird because they rose in a lovely fashion. 

The kids ate in the living room and watched the Thanksgiving day parade. 

Do you notice the Pringles there on the blue plates? Maggie served those. For some dang reason there were no Pringles on the grown-up table which felt a little unfair. 

Do you want to hear the sweetest thing? Gibson told his mom this morning that this would be the first big family get-together with Hank and Rachel as a married couple. What twelve year old boy thinks of that? And it was also our first big family get-together in Lily's new house. Or at least the first one I attended. 

They have a table that Lauren's mom gave them that all the grown-ups can fit around and that's ten of us. We took advantage of that, telling stories and laughing and eating delicious foods and being all social and stuff. 

And it was not stressful. I know we won't do this every year but I sure did enjoy it. 

Before we ate, there was a basketball game going on in the street in front of the house. That sounds crazy but Lily's house is on the end of a cul-de-sac and there's no traffic and plenty of room for two nets and backboards. Even Boppy got involved in it. Levon is really developing an interest in basketball which thrills his granddaddy.

Here's another thing that happened before we ate.

Yes. I know that looks a great deal more like Halloween than Thanksgiving but when I saw Gibson's kitty, Nico, (or Magnificent Princess as he calls her) balancing on the chair backs, I had to take a picture. 

It was just a really sweet time. Nothing crazy or too loud and although there were plenty of different things to eat it wasn't like Thanksgiving usually is where there's so much food you can't even take one taste of everything because that would still be too much. 

After lunch, we all hung out for awhile. Maggie came in to tell us that the cousins wanted her to paint rainbows on their faces and so she needed to get the make-up and then this happened.

I am not sure what became of the rainbow idea but this will do. 

Lauren is doing better after two weeks of little to no improvement. Just the other day she went to get her MRI and although she could drive herself there, she could not lay down in the MRI machine in the position they needed her to be in. She's going back next Thursday to try again. But she was able to sit up and walk around a little today and join us at the table. 

Can you see Chloe there, patiently hoping for a slice of cheese or pepperoni? I think it was Chloe. It could have been Pepper. They really do look alike. 

Before we left, I went and got Owen out of his room for just a moment because I'd hardly seen him. He is very much a teenager now but he is also still very much a love. 

He is so BIG! Not just tall, but big like a man. I am having a difficult time coping with this reality.

I got one picture of Auntie May and Levon.

Two cuties whom I love so much. 

I was going to take a nap when we got home today. I mean- I deserved a nap. I've had to set an alarm three days in a row this week! But when we got home I started doing stuff and the next thing you know, it was way past a reasonable nap time. And I am tired but it's all my own damn fault. I'm the one who wanted to make a miniature Thanksgiving dinner for me and the man and that involved making stuffing which is my favorite part of Thanksgiving, and getting the chicken ready to roast, and making a few deviled eggs, and picking and cooking greens, and snapping and cooking green beans for a green bean casserole because I love that too. I already have mashed potatoes left over from a few days ago and the cranberry relish and biscuits already cut and ready to bake. 

But still. All that wasn't nothing. 

And now I feel stupid. Why, Mary? Just why? I could have bought a frozen pizza at the Dollar General (yes, they are open today) and heated it up and Mr. Moon would have been fine with that. 

But. You know. And I have no grounds on which to complain at all. 

AND...Gibson's coming to spend the night tomorrow. We are way overdue having him come stay and he probably looks forward to it more than any of the others. He's a middle child but when he's here, he is the one and the only and we love him up. 

All righty! Another Thanksgiving in the books and it's been a real sweet one. 
You know what else is sweet? 
I do not have to set an alarm tonight. I can sleep as late as I want to! I am so looking forward to that. 

I know two women with whom I've texted in the last 24 hours who have both said, "I think I'm done with this." 

Boy, do I get that. 

Love...Ms. Moon

Well, It Was An Adventure

I have to say that our little excursion to see the house and property I talked about last night was a very, very different experience than what I had imagined it would be. 

First off, let me say we have the best realtor in the world. He has helped us and the kids buy houses and he is funny and kind and honest and he's known Glen since he was a kid buying his first car. And now his kids are in college, older than he was when he bought that first car. So it's a very real and very long-time relationship. And friendship, too. He's so sweet and I have a feeling he may be a regular church-goer. I always try not to cuss around him but although I do manage to avoid using the word "fuck," other shit does come out of my mouth. Like the word "shit" for instance. 

I was tempted to cuss a LOT today. Not out of anger or anything like that, but out of amazement and wonder and bafflement and a lot of other emotions that I went through. 

First off, the house is on almost fourteen acres which is a hell of a lot of land on and near a big lake around here. So there is that. And it's all woods, Florida pine and oak backwoods. And of course Glen LOVES that. He's already trying to figure out if it's zoned to be subdivided so that we could sell a few of the acres if we wanted to. 

When we first got to the house we looked to see what the lake view is like. It's like that first picture, meaning the house has been empty so long that the vegetation has grown up to block it. You literally cannot see the water for the trees. 

We headed down to the back of the house to see what the underside of it looks like. It's a strange build in that there is a finished basement which was once an office, I think, and also a big piece of unfinished area that had insulation falling out and old, old, crap that had been shoved under there and it was pretty horrible. In fact, it started making me feel sick, to see all of that nastiness. But Glen...oh our dear Mr. Moon! He's got his flashlight and he and Jeff, the realtor who has his own flashlight, are underneath there, hoping not to disturb any animals, and checking out the floor beams and all that stuff that you're supposed to check out. 

Let me stop right here and tell you that Jeff tried harder than any realtor in history to convince us not to buy this place. He was the voice of reason. I mean, I didn't need convincing. But Mr. Moon, for at least awhile there, was seeing everything cleared down to the lake, the needed demolition done and the crap hauled away and repairs made and in place. 
This is the same man who constantly tells me that he is not up to all the work our house here needs. I will point out that our house is not on a lake or surrounded by fourteen acres of woods, either. 

The house was not built in the 80's. We found old checks and bills scattered about that dated from 1974. And this means, as Jeff pointed out, that before being lived in, the house will have go through EPA inspection which is very expensive. Lead paint was outlawed in 1978 but before that- nope. There wasn't a lot of paint in the house but asbestos? Who knows? Hazmat suits would be involved.

As the guys continued their inspection of the underpart of the house, I went back up to the front of of the house in search of the in-ground swimming pool that was spoken of and I literally stumbled across it on what we had all thought was just a huge screened in area, attached directly to the house. 

There, under that blue tarp, surrounded by decking, is the pool. You can see the diving board platform at the other end. It's a big pool. We have no idea what it looks like because that tarp is pretty much bolted to the decking. But how curious! Another curious thing- the beams in that area are steel. Steel beams over the pool. 

Okay. So on into the house. 

And this is where it gets beautiful. 

Such gorgeous wood and that fireplace is made of Florida limestone. That is the open living area of the house and I have to say that someone truly put a lot of thought and love into it. 

Now the kitchen?

Not so much. There was a very large pantry off to the side. I did very much like the terra-cotta tile in that space.

And...bonus points for shelves all set up for a massive record collection and a decent amount of books. 

 
Can you dig it? 

We went down to the basement which was a mess. It had a dead squirrel in it and smelled moldy. Lots of bookshelves down there. Almost like someone had had a law office set up. 

There were two bedrooms on the main floor and they were absolutely nothing to get excited about. Small, carpeted, closets. 

And this one had a sink in it which is very handy, I suppose. The bathrooms were typical for their day meaning butt-ugly.

There's an upstairs bathroom which is accessed through the garage but I did not feel the need to go visit it. Jeff did say that I was missing some really fine vintage mustard-colored carpeting. 
"Still, no," I said. 

As Jeff was leaving to get to a meeting, Glen said, "Well, if we buy this I guess I better get used to single living."

"That's right," I said. 

No way in hell would I let him take that on. I can see the beauty in the dream of what it could be and I love him for not being afraid to take on almost impossible things. However- well. You know. 

I kept whispering to Jeff, "Don't let him buy this house. Please don't let him buy this house."

And by golly, he surely pointed out every damning feature he saw. 

I've made the chocolate pecan pie to take to Thanksgiving breakfast tomorrow that I promised Lauren, and the angel biscuit dough is ready to roll out and cut. I'll bake them at Lily's. I also got two fruit cakes made and they are in the oven right now. 

Just checked. One is done.

I have SO much cheesecloth and spiced rum to wrap them in. 

And I think I'm going to have to make two more batches.

Well, Happy Thanksgiving whether you're celebrating with a turkey or a breakfast or a delicious meal of side-dishes or a Swanson Turkey dinner. 

Remember those? I can remember the way those mashed potatoes made with something not potato-related and marinated in fake butter and tinfoil tasted like it was yesterday. 

Good and good for you! 

How are we even alive?

I'm grateful for alla y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon

What The Hecking Heck?

That's what the sky looked like on my way home from pottery this afternoon. It was as dramatic as a community theater doing Macbeth. 

This morning before it was entirely light, I frantically searched online for a pottery project that I thought I could do but that wasn't completely useless. We were doing hand-building, not working on the wheel because basically, I suck at that. I'm going to try it again one of these days but today was not the day. I found projects for making spoon rests and pinch pots and coil pots and all sorts of things, none of which looked very interesting to me. Then I found one that I felt I could do. It was a CRACKER DISH and it was filled with Cheez-Its in the final photo and I said, "Yep, I'll do that one."
You can find the very short video here if you have any interest, which you probably do not. Well, the whole video isn't that short, but the cracker dish project comes first and it isn't long. 
Pottery class is making me feel ways I haven't felt in a long time. First of all, I have no idea when I last tried to really learn something new. I am not proud of this. Secondly- add in a teacher. And then third, there's the fact that my child is helping me every step of the way. 
It all sort of adds up to me feeling frustrated and fumble-fingered, like a small child who tries something new and ends up crying out, "I can't do this! I hate it!" and bursting into tears. 
But I realize this is something new for me and I can't be expected to know what I do not know. I have to learn. I have to figure out how clay works. And today I felt all of that a little more. I started my cracker dish project and having just rewatched the video again, I realize I made quite a few mistakes but who cares? It's not going to look like the lovely one the teacher on the video made. In fact, it's going to be rough and heavy and I doubt a cracker will ever nestle into its form. But I enjoyed the process. And I am so grateful to Jessie for dragging me out of the house, even though I have to get up way too early, and helping me along with it. 

We did not go get lunch today after class. There was a reason for that. Levon and August are out of school this week so she left them at home with Vergil working in his home office, right there in case they needed anything. They had a list of things they were supposed to do and could do. However, when we got back to the house to pick them up to go to lunch with us, it was discovered that they had made some less than excellent choices while left to their own devices. 
Sigh.
Well, what do you expect? But, no blood, no foul. Also no fire so in retrospect, it wasn't that bad. But. No fun lunch, either. 

So I came home, intending to get some of my baking done. I'm making one more chocolate pecan pie as it has been specially requested, and the angel biscuits. PLUS, I need to get those fruitcakes made. 
Well, I made up the angel biscuit dough and it's securely wrapped in the refrigerator now. But I just did NOT feel like tackling the pie or fruit cakes. So I didn't. 

Mr. Moon spent most of the way out on a boat in the river and he came home blissed out. "I didn't hit every rock in the Wacissa!" he said. Nothing makes that man happier than being on the water or in the woods. And I love that about him. 

Tomorrow we're going over to look at a place on a lake west of town. Not the place he looked at before, but a different one. The pictures on the realty site look...interesting. Lots and lots of wood and some really funky areas in the house. It's described like this: "This was a showpiece back in the 80s! Vision and passion needed for the new buyer to restore it to it's former glory!"

Now that's putting a positive spin on what's probably a big ol' mess. I'm pretty sure we don't have the vision and passion needed to restore it to it's former 80's glory (and what in the world is considered 80's glory?) but it'll be fun to drive out there and look at it. 

Meanwhile, the camellias are busting out. 

Oh my Lord, y'all. I just checked the weather for the next week. Look at next Tuesday's low.

We are going to die. And if not us, then some of my plants. 

Damn. This will require some intervention. I will NOT be losing my mango trees, my sea grapes, my porch jungle. That will not do. 
I have to ponder this. 

Love...Ms. Moon

A Daytime Date

Mr. Moon asked me today if I would take him to pick up a car in Tallahassee. He said, "We could get lunch." 
I thought about the prospect and said, "Why not?" 
And so we did just that. On our way to the area of town we were heading to in order to pick up the car, he even filled my tank with gas at the Costco. At first I said, "Oh, you don't need to do that." And he said, "But I'd like to," and I said, "You know what? That would be so nice."

And it was. We decided to go to a restaurant we used to eat at every Friday night. Every Friday night of our lives. And we never had a bad meal there. We always sat at the bar so we could watch the chefs doing their ballet involving pans and fire and food and plates and we could also chat with the servers waiting to pick up their orders. But our lives are different now and we stay home on Friday nights, as you all know, and I like that fine but I do like to eat something I haven't cooked, especially if the food is better than something I could make and Kool Beanz, named ignominiously and probably ironically, has that. Food better than I make. 

It took forever to get our lunches. When we got there, the restaurant was packed but by the time our food arrived, it looked like that. At one point in our wait I told Glen that I was ready to go to Whataburger which is just a few doors down. But we waited and by golly, it was worth the wait. I got a Kung Pao salmon dish with peanuts, broccolini, and ginger rice. 
Oh. My. Freaking. God.
Glen got a shrimp thing and it was okay but we agreed that the salmon was superior. 

A long time ago, when we lived on Short Street and Jessie was just a little kid, she was practically married to the little boy next door. His family was way less strict than I was when it came to the kinds of food in the house and Jessie related to me a story the other day about how she and Lewis, her almost-husband, would sit in Lewis's dad's big chair, kick back, eat Cheez-Its, play footsie and watch TV. 
"Man, that was the best marriage ever!" I said. She agreed that it had been pretty sweet. 
Anyway, Lewis was over at our house one time and we were talking about biscuits. "I hog them down!" Lewis said, and that has been one of my favorite sayings ever since. After our lunch today, I looked at my embarrassingly clean plate and said, "I hogged that down."
Mr. Moon did not disagree. 

After lunch we did go pick up the car or at least I dropped him off where the car was so he could pick it up. The woman who is selling it was a hoot and sort of fascinated me so I stuck around for a little while as she unloaded the car. Then I went to...YOU GUESSED IT!...Costco and Publix. Why, why, why? Costco was crazy, of course. But I needed butter and eggs and they have really good butter and eggs and at a ridiculously low price. I also picked up some frozen blueberries and cherries for Mr. Moon's pre-workout smoothies which I make him because I am the best wife in the world. 
That's a lie but whatever. While I was there, wheeling that giant cart around, I felt like I was in a game of Pac Man, everyone almost hitting each other but not quite, and when I had successfully self-checked out and had not hit or been hit by another cart, I felt rather smug. 
No I didn't. I felt vastly relieved and got out of there as fast I could. 
I am just telling one lie after another, aren't I?

Nah. Just a little poetic license to make things more interesting but at least I admit it when I do it. 

Here's some really big news: 

Camellia season has begun! 

That is the Yuletide Camellia Sasanqua and it is one of my favorites. 

I have been calling this a Pink Perfection forever but I think that I've been wrong and that it is actually, an Otome Pink Camellia. Whatever it is, it is definitely pink and it is definitely pretty darn perfect. 

Here's another perfect thing. Or two perfect things, to be exact. 

Brothers. Out hiking with their mama. 

Love...Ms. Moon

You Try And Title This Shit

I stole that image from Facebook today. I had to. That cat's face is just too good. I sent it to the kids on the group text because that's what I do and so do they. We're just a barrel of monkeys around here. 
Rachel replied that it looked like the cat was saying, "Are you fucking joking right now?" and Hank said the cat looks like it's saying, "Is this how you see me?"

Anyway, you're welcome if you, too, thought it was amusing. 

God, I've been so boring today. Absolutely boring. Describing my day would be about as interesting as describing cutting fingernails. 

I'd started some sourdough sponge last night and made up the dough this morning. That was about the most interesting thing I did. It's still rising and if things go as usual, it will fall before I put it in the oven. In fact, I should probably go preheat the oven and the iron vessel I'll be baking it in. When I'm making sourdough these days, I feel like someone with two left feet on the dance floor. I am just not finding the rhythm which causes missteps and ungainly results. 
Oh well, not the end of the world. 

I worked outside digging in the ground and uprooting things that I don't want in that same space I've been working in for months. This is my hobby now, I guess. My only find today was an old paintbrush, buried for who knows how long. It was in two pieces and the brush part was gross and disgusting for some reason. Sort of like someone's hair, long buried in the ground. I'm glad I found the handle part first because if I hadn't, I would have thought maybe I was digging up a body. Or at least a head. 

Yeah. I'm reaching here. I've been thinking a lot about the picture of the people I posted yesterday from the Facebook group about the history of Roseland and Sebastian. There's just so much I love about it and even though I didn't know those people, I can get such a sense and a feeling of them and that time and place. It strikes a very strong chord in me. 

Here's another one that tugs my heart for sure. That was the old Wabasso bridge that stretched from the mainland and went over the Indian River. And yes, it was made of boards, and yes, anyone who ever went over that bridge remembers the way it sounded and felt as you drove over it. Such a beautiful place then, a tropical jungle, mostly untouched and unspoiled. Now that whole area is filled with rich people houses, huge things perched precariously on dredge islands and on the banks of the river. The road that bridge was part of ended in the Atlantic ocean and that's what we took to get to the beach. 

I better go bake that bread and make some soup. Tonight's soup will be venison and vegetable. I should have had it cooking hours ago but I didn't. La-di-dah. 

I promise I'll try to create some excitement tomorrow. Or, you know- maybe not. 

Here's a picture of Mr. Moon and our own beloved orange cat. 

She was getting some Mr. Moon love. And that is a good thing to get. Trust me.

Love...Ms. Moon

Update:

Looking pretty good. Feel like maybe I've found my cha-cha shoes even if my ballet slippers are long gone. 

Need a vegetable? We got 'em all. 

Now And Then

 Porch Monstera

Mr. Moon and Vergil did deer processing today which means they did whatever it is you do to venison to get it ready for use and freezing. This involves knives. I am sure of that. And also, a meat grinder. That I am certain of as well. And after it's all done, the bones are buried beside the garage in the back yard by the railroad tracks.

Jessie brought the boys out to visit when the men were working on the deer and the first thing they did when they busted through the door was say, "Mom said we could watch TV!" And then, "Do you have any chips? Not like tortilla chips. Like Doritos." 
I told them that no, I had no Doritos. 
"Sun chips?" they asked. 
"No chips at all," I said. I did have some Ritz crackers. I'm pretty sure there's a law which states that grandparents must have Ritz crackers on hand at all times. 
"Okay!" They said. I gave them each four Ritz crackers and they were quite pleased. 
When they ran into the Glen Den they were giggling about something. When I came in they said, "It smells like Boppy's farts in here." 
"What? Really?" Personally, I had never noticed that. 
"Yeah!" August walked over to the TV and pointed behind it. "That's where the oldest one is." 
"The oldest fart?"
"YES!" 
Which made made us all laugh and then their mama came in and they told her all about the fart smells and oh, to be the mother of two little boys.

And just for the record- the Glen Den does not smell like anyone's farts. 

The boys settled into TV watching and Jessie and I sat on the porch and talked for awhile. I asked her if she thought we should get lunch at the Hilltop and bring it back for everyone. 
"I was just going to ask you the same thing," she said. There was certainly too much going on the kitchen to make lunch. So that's what we did. There were only two ladies working in the front so it took some time today to get our order. We walked around while we were waiting as the waiting bench (an old church pew) was pretty crowded. The other side of the place from the ordering area and kitchen is a "store." That's in parentheses because it looks like this. 

I mean, that's only one area but the other areas look about the same. This is not the type of country store where you go to get locally made sausage or cane syrup or local honey or fig preserves. Those are the canned goods, of most of them, anyway. You can also buy chips of all descriptions, cold drinks and beer, and Little Debby products and if you don't know what those are, bless your heart. 

Really, the whole place is geared towards the deli part. Or whatever you call it. They do make sandwiches, but as I have said so many times before, they do a lot more than that. 

Family run operation. 

We got everything today from shrimp po'boys to hamburgers to a fish sandwich to fried okra to a chicken-salad salad. Also onion rings and french fries. Top quality, all! Ah well. 
Can you see all the different menus? 

They are hiring, just in case you want to move to this area and need a job. It's not an easy job, the folks working behind that counter never stop for a breath. 

We brought all the food home and we'd bought the boys some Fritos because they had wanted chips and also some pretty nasty queso dip and August was so, so happy. 

Sophie came out today too. She loves coming here because there is so much to smell and so many places to explore and so much room to run! Sophie actually loves just about everything. She is a dog after all, and dogs are generally enchanted by all that life has to offer in the way of good times. She found a skull today and none of us knew what it was. It almost looked like a very large tortoise's skull, or, as Jessie said, a baby dragon skull. Whatever it was, she loved it to pieces. 
Literally. 

So that was a good time and when everything was finished up, they took off for home as they were going to make a fire in the fire pit tonight and have some friends over. Here's a picture of Sophie and Levon in Vergil's truck. 

Off to more fun and exciting adventures! 

I got a picture of August too.

He's showing off his swollen lip which is obviously not bothering him. We think it was an allergic reaction to some Bert's Bees lip balm but who knows? He took an antihistamine and I'm pretty sure he's still alive. 

And that was the big part of my day. 
I've spent some time going through pictures from a history of Roseland and Sebastian FB group that I love so much. I remember so many of the places and even some of the people represented there. Here's one picture that stole my heart right away. 

I did not know those people but the picture somehow sums up something about the area and the residents of it that speaks to me. The description of the photo was written by the son of the little guy in his dad's arms. It goes like this:

No one loved each other more than these two people. Papa was a commercial fisherman, a duck hunter, and a homesteader. They had a beautiful piece of property with two giant mulberry trees, orange trees, grapefruit, tangerine, guava, papaya, avocado trees, and pecan(how could i forget that pecan tree?!) etc. Papa was such a good man. Grandma would sew the nets for him, I remember that vividly. She was a homemaker, a mother, a teacher, and eventually worked at Sennes Hardware Store in Grant. She was extremely good with money, brutally honest, and very disciplined. It is said that she was a tomboy, Grampy’s favorite child. She kept the books for my grampy Charles Sembler, the patriarch of the family. He trusted her implicitly. I miss them all.

I know that this all sounds rather Edenic before the fall but trust me when I say that these people did not have an easy life and it's a miracle that they survived, much less thrived. 

Here's some pictures that go back much farther. 

The one on the bottom left is of the Sebastian river which is MY river. Don't let anyone tell you different. The Indian river is beautiful too, but the Sebastian river is the body of water that sustained my soul when I was a child and has done the same for me many times in my adulthood. 

I guess I better go make us some supper. Mr. Moon is still at Moon Plaza, doing repairs and dealing with a small rodent problem. I have taken to calling him the Rat Man. He could have just called in a pest control company but that is not how he does things. As you know by now. 

Shall we talk tomorrow too? 

I hope so.

Love...Ms. Moon