Doug and I sacked a bunch of lunches before serving time. He had already made a huge pot of chili and a large bowl of salad. Oddly, Doug suggested (seriously) that I could add a dollop of cranberry sauce to the plates if I wished, but Crazy butted in shouting, "Don't nobody want no cranberry sauce!" I left it alone.
The high point of prep was finding the huge box of Hershey bars and other candies in the pantry. I was just beginning to think through how I might give everyone some candy without overdoing it, when Mr. A said, "Give one to everybody!"
"A whole one?" I gasped.
Yes, a whole one. So I gathered up a little container of candy bars and took them to the serving counter, but putting a whole Hershey bar on every plate rubbed me the wrong way. So I broke the bars into 4 pieces each, as they are scored. Crazy and Mr. A gave me a very hard time about that, but I stood my ground.
Pretty soon, the big candy box disappeared!!! A cry went out amongst us (I, for one, hadn't grabbed a bar for myself…). Eventually, Doug fessed up to having claimed the box for himself and having put it in his truck. That was that.
The chili and salad made a wonderful lunch, but no one asked for seconds. The pre-release were of good humor, as were the residents, but both groups were a bit smaller than last week's because the weather has improved.
Our 7-yr-old has moved away, and I miss his charming little face, but the 10-yr-old remains and announced, "The Toy Lady is here!" This week I'm a lady. He was pleased with his bubble wand, new pencil and glue stick. The 2-yr-old got a stuffed bear, and the 1-yr-old got a blue elephant. It was almost more than his little hands could handle, though it is age-appropriate. To my dismay, I noticed that the child will be a big brother in another 2 or 3 months…
As I gathered my things to leave, I noticed that the candy box had been returned. Doug said he'd removed it because he didn't think it wise to give every diner a whole bar. "When you give them a whole candy bar, they think they're entitled to the same thing again, and we just don't have it." We were of one accord. I put many bars in my toy sack and brought them home for next week, but I left five times as much behind. After the night gatekeeper gets through with them, they will all be gone. I don't see that gal anymore, but you might remember a large gatekeeper who was a very good eater and a jolly soul to boot. She works night shift now.
The mood has shifted in the kitchen. Doug is more serious. The music takes a backseat, and is sometimes not CW. Fans which obliterate all other noises (voices included) are left running unnecessarily. Mr. A is just nuts with snapping orders to one and all, and Crazy's sanity comes and goes like the wind. I never know what I'll find in there of a Sunday mornin'. What'd you find?
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