Another One

 

I went out into the garden this afternoon to whack back a bunch of mint so that the sun would shine upon the tomatoes and I found another one getting pink.  Now I have two!  I'm so excited.  Pretty soon I'll have a home grown tomato to have with my homegrown cucumber and homemade hummus.  BTW, I didn't find another big cuke but I did find a few tiny ones that just might turn into fruit--or is cucumber a vegetable?




This morning I went over to Zambaldi Beer to have a visit with DS.  Today was a brew day so the place smelled like citrus and bread, delightful.  I was smart and wore plastic shoes because there's a lot of water splashing around when he's cleaning tanks and brewing beer.  I always enjoy spending an hour with my boy who isn't much of a boy anymore.


After lunch I went out to mow the lawn.  The mower made a metallic clank when I started it and blew out a little smoke but I mowed the back, then I thought I'd better check the oil.  Low.  So I called the neighbor guy to ask what weight oil and how much to put in.  He's a small engine guy and didn't like the clank so he'll look at it tomorrow and put in oil for me.  Guess I'll be mowing the rest of the lawn in the morning before it gets too hot.



The zinnias are blooming like mad in the planters.  I love their bright colors.  The other day a young squirrel spent ten minutes examining each flower to see if it was edible but it didn't eat any.  Whew.

23 July--Barbara Malcolm, Better Than Mom's. 

For the next four hours until nearly ten-thirty Fay was never still, she handed out menus, took orders, poured coffee, served and cleared, and still managed to flirt with the men and joke with the women. 

Brady stayed behind the grill, frying eggs every which way, keeping ham, bacon, homemade sausage from burning, giving it just the right crispness before whisking it onto the plates, and directing John to start the meatloaf and chicken and dumplings for lunch.  John was a natural.  He followed Brady’s cooking directions to the letter, and also managed to keep the bus tubs empty and a supply of clean dishes ready when Fay needed them. 

As she reached under the warming lights to pick up an order she said, “Brady, I don't know what guardian angel sent John today, but I sure am grateful.  He's the best.” 

Brady, sweat running down his face and dripping off to sizzle on the griddle, said, “I think he might work out okay.”  But he could not hide the grin of satisfaction as if he had specially ordered John, even though John had come to the door on his own.

John thought he was in heaven.  His cousin who had come to Stinson before him worked in a slaughterhouse where it was hot and smelled of fear and death.  The owners didn't treat a man like a man there either.  John had decided to find work in another place.  He was staying with his cousin just one block from Better Than Mom’s and had gone in for coffee once.  He thought the man behind the grill looked honest and he liked the homey air of the place.  Last night when he couldn't sleep because his cousin was fighting with his wife, John resolved to get up before dawn and come to the diner asking for a job.  He knew he could do the work knowing that what would be offered him would be menial jobs, dishwashing or busboy, because he had not gone to school to learn a job, and people wanted to see a certificate saying a man, or woman, could do the job they were applying for.  No one that John had met understood that some men just knew how to do things, knew without going to school how to fix a car or build a house or season meat to make the cheapest cuts taste like choice.  But John had a gift in the kitchen, his mama had taught him to cook for the family when she worked late at the resort on the shore.  John was the oldest, his sisters were all babies in his eyes, six, seven, and eight, and not trusted with knives and fire, so he cooked for the family.  While the rest of his friends swaggered down the streets, he sweated and chopped making the evening meal for his family. 

That morning he watched the boss man, Brady, closely and took his cue from what he saw.  From his station behind the counter he could see when Brady’s massive shoulders would begin to rise and tighten, that meant it was time for John to step from behind the sink and retrieve the bus tubs that were filling with dirty plates and coffee mugs.  Between times John assembled meatloaves and put them in to bake and followed Brady’s instructions for making chicken with vegetables and dumplings.  By the time the breakfast rush had slowed and the three of them had a moment to rest, the kitchen was redolent with the scents of baking meats and savory vegetables. 

Today's toss was a pair of iron skillets that used to be in the camping gear.  Man, those suckers are heavy.  I have a few iron skillets that I barely use so I don't need to keep even more of them.

I didn't get any writing done today what with the visit to DS and mowing and whacking down mint but I'll see if I can't crank out a few words tomorrow.  Saturday for sure.
--Barbara