Category: family

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Fish Lady

Our family pet keeps me company when I’m home alone.

Some of you may remember that I was opposed to owning and taking care of our pet. I was not happy when Emmy received Stripe and Spotty for her birthday; no one had consulted me about this gift. In the end, I embraced the fish. A week later, Spotty was no longer with us. Stripe proved to be the hardier fish.

Nine months later, I admit that I talk to Stripe when I walk by his tank. Lily runs to the fish tank as soon as she walks in the door after school to say “Hi!” to Stripe. At dinner time, the whole family asks each other, “Who fed Stripe?” He comes up to the top of the tank and blows bubbles when we come to feed hime. He’s one smart little fish.

Cutest fish EVER!
Cutest fish EVER!

The other evening, I sat on the couch to read. As I glanced over at the fish tank,  I panicked when I thought I saw Stripe floating at the top of the water. As I hurried over to check on him, Stripe swam around and looked at me as if I were a crazy lady. He was perfectly fine.

Maybe I am a crazy lady; a crazy FISH lady.

All I know is, when it’s Stripe’s time to leave this earth, it will be awfully hard to replace him.

Second Blooming
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Small Place, Great Taste

Ed, Emmy, Lily and I sat in a row at the green Formica counter in the small diner. We had been driving home from the late church service and I pulled into the parking lot for one reason: I was starving. Actually, I had two reasons; I felt the beginnings of a cold coming on, and so I didn’t want to rustle up lunch myself once we got home.

hot coffee
Coffee, served hot

Eating at a diner made me want to order a cup of coffee, but since I had already had plenty that morning, I stuck with a ham and cheese omelet. Lily and Emmy had a front seat view of the grill, and watching the short order cooks make their French toast fascinated them. Watching the cook tossing scrambled eggs into the air and flip pancakes was almost as entertaining as a Japanese steakhouse and much more affordable. The two cooks knew their jobs and worked together to get the orders done and out to the customer. Ed said his chicken wrap was so hot right off the grill that he had to let it sit for a couple of minutes to cool down. My omelet tasted the same as the one I used to order at a different diner in a different town. Simple, yet delicious.

There wasn’t much of a chance for conversation. Sitting by the grill was noisy, and being all in the row made it difficult to talk anyway. The waitress was friendly and got our order right, although she wasn’t young and was a little bossy in a diner sort of way. What is it about a diner that I love? (It’s definitely not the coffee.) Is it the cooking? Is it the “mom and pop” feeling?  I’m not sure. But I do know I’m always on the lookout for a good diner. The next time I stop in, I’ll be sure to order the ham and cheese omelet with hash browns. And perhaps we’ll sit at a booth instead.

What’s your favorite diner food?

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