All The Groceries

It's Investment Cooking week!  I made the shopping list last week, transferred it to my phone, and look what came.  All the groceries.  I have the shopper put the bags in the back of my car when the order is so big.  There's no way they'd fit on the porch with room to open the door.  It's easy for her and easy for me.

 

Today's recipe was Salisbury Steak.  The aroma of frying hamburgers permeates the house and hangs around for hours.  I was happy to have the last serving of the previous batch for supper tonight, along with brown rice and cooked carrots.  Yum.

The Downy Woodpecker came to the suet cake today.  I hoped it would turn around so we'd get a head view instead of a tail view but that didn't happen.  When I was hauling in the groceries I spied a little mousie burrowing under the snow from the birdbath toward the feeders.  Maybe those are mouse prints I see in the snow?

I'm four rounds away from finishing February Cast Sock #2.  I do love these colors.

 

 

 

16 February--Barbara Malcolm, The Seaview. 

Chapter 44

            The next morning Will and Elizabeth had a flight out of Anguilla so we were up early to get them to the airport on time.  As we stood in the open-air terminal after they had checked their bags Will put his arms around me and hugged me hard.  "I'm sorry I was so negative, Mom.  I was convinced that you had been fleeced and cheated and would lose every penny of Dad's money."

            I looked up at him and smiled.  "Ha, admit it, you were afraid I'd come to live with you."

            He laughed, "You're right, that's it exactly.  I'll miss you, Mom."

            I felt a lump in my throat.  "I miss you too, sonny boy.  You and Elizabeth are always welcome, you know that."  I wiped away tears.  "I don't know when I'll be able to come visit you, maybe in the summer when tourism slows down."

            I hugged Elizabeth.  "Thank you so much for all of your hard work figuring out muffin recipes for me.  I promise to give you credit."

            She hugged me back.  "Hey, it was like a treasure hunt finding the right ingredients."  We laughed.

            Their flight was called, we had another round of hugs, and I watched them walk out to their plane.

            Marie had an afternoon flight out of St. Martin which meant that she needed to take the noon ferry to Marigot, and then a cab to the airport.  I offered to go with her but it seemed that 'Nando had pressing Customs Office business in St. Martin and was coincidentally taking the noon ferry.  So I got to drive her to the ferry terminal and say goodbye there.

            "Thank you for my website, sweetie.  I've gotten a bunch of compliments on it already. I pick up the brochures at the printer on Monday then I'll spread them around the island.  I'll send some to you so you can spread them around there too."

            "The internet will be your best advertising, Mom, so don't spend too much on print," she said.

            I hugged her again.  "Have a safe flight.  I love you, Marie."

            "Bye, Mom, I love you too."  Tears sparkled in her eyes. 

            I gave her one more squeeze, then let go.  "You know you're always welcome at the Seaview."

            I watched my daughter walk onto the ferry dock with 'Nando rolling her suitcase and his other hand resting protectively on her back.  I had a feeling that Marie would be back on the island fairly soon or maybe Mr. Hernando Gomez would make a trip to the States in the near future.

            I drove back across the island to my hotel to get the yellow room ready for Janet Fielding to move into later that afternoon.

            The next chapter of my life had begun.

THE END

Today's toss was a roll of making tape that is so old that the tape won't unroll.  I peel it off and it sticks and pulls up the top layer of what's underneath.  Frustrating.  Into the bin it went.

The prompt today was that a stranger insults you; what do you say?  Nothing.  I avoid confrontation so I'd say nothing.  Sorry to be such a wimp but there you have it.

So that's the end of The Seaview and the end of my stock of novel manuscripts.  Now we go back to just what happened in my day.  I hope you'll stick around.

--Barbara