Small Town Stories

My three favorite things (note I said things not people or anything of that nature) are coffee, food and books. I love to read or write and drink coffee. If not that then I’m content being in the kitchen creating what my son Christopher refers to as art…..

picture of first batch of homemade strawberry

It was ironic that this picture caught all three of them. I have been in a funk lately.  The boys have grown up and don’t need me.  While my friends who are parents of their friends are doing the, “woo woo I’m free dance,” I am sitting at home in a stupor like the quarterback who just lost he super bowl in the last 30 seconds.  Life was going good and then all of a sudden something changed and nobody gave me the new play. So as my sons are doing the “woo woo we are so out of here dance,” Patricia Ann has spent many a days this summer perplexed.  Then life said to her, get up off your behind and do what you love.  I love to write, but am honestly too shook up to write anything inspirational. I love to read and drink coffee but and the stupor has kind of stolen that joy as well.  Then my third love, FOOD, poked me on the shoulder and said something to the effect of “come hither my love I’ve been waiting for you.” And, I giddily went along. The grocery store had strawberries at a ridiculously cheap price: 88 cents a pint.  So I bought some and didn’t know what to do after the impulse purchase.  Some of it went to sorbet, but that’s old hat for me. Patricia Ann took it to the next level. Let’s just let it go by saying we’ll be eating toast with homemade strawberry jelly.  And I gotta say those Smucker’s gotta a run for their money.  I know because  I tasted it before I put it in the jar. The joy of doing what I wanted, making food, chased away the stupor I’ve been feeling for weeks.  The irony, those kids that didn’t need me, hung around pretty close once I got in the kitchen and started making my happy noises. Turns out they do like being around me after all.