Raindrops Are Falling On My Head

The day started early this morning as I headed out for a quick medical appointment. The skies were gray and spitting chilly drops of water as I hugged my coat closer and dashed to the car. It was definitely colder than I thought it should be. A damp chill seeped into my bones.

Arriving back home, I scrambled up some eggs, hoping a little protein would energize me for a few chores around the house.

It didn't.

Next, I tried doing a little cardio at the gym. That didn't work either.

Once back home, I noted how peaceful my two cats were, all curled up on the sofa

I decided to lean into the dreariness of the day, grabbed a blanket, and curled up right next to them. 

Unfortunately, the sun may not show until the end of the week. It may be a few days before those chores get done.

Glory Days

My 90-year-old mother was sitting across the table from me, enjoying her onion pizza while recounting her glory years.

"Rita, Janet, and Liz all belonged to different golf clubs. So, when I was down in Florida, I had three different courses I could play on. It was great."

My parents never owned a condo in Florida, but many of my mom's friends did. She opted to rent a place nearby for an extended winter getaway. Every January, she would pack up her car and head south, determined to get 12 hours of driving under her belt. She would spend the night in Ocala, so the last leg of the trip to Naples would be only about 4 hours the next morning.

My father was not a beach guy. On family vacations, he spent his time wrapped up under towels beneath the umbrella. He went to the beach because it made his wife (and children) happy. It's not surprising that he didn't spend much time in Florida during her winter break. He'd go down for a week or so, but not much more.

I've had a lot of lunches with my mom lately. Each and every time she tells me about the good times in Florida. There was golf, dinners out, beach time, and more golf. I can tell by the way she talks how much she misses those days. Those days when all of her friends were still alive, and her own body was without the issues she's been having the last few years. 

"That's the thing about the good ol' days, Mom. You don't realize you're in the midst of them until they've already passed."

"Ain't that the truth?" she smiled.

Missing You

 

A college friend was in town to attend a rescheduled holiday gathering. Each year, my close group of St. Mary's College friends gets together for a night of food, drink, laughter, and gift-giving.  What used to be a night out to dinner has turned into a full-on ladies' slumber party, complete with kitchen-dance parties and very little sleep.

"I'm heading out to the store. Do you need anything?" 

"Thanks, yes! I could use some crackers."

"What kind?" I asked.

Robin looked down, wrinkled her nose a bit, and considered her response. 

I drew in a breath.

"It's just...," Robin replied, "it's just, I miss-"

"Stone Wheat Thins!" I finished.

What transpired next was a 10-minute eulogy to the demise of Red Oval Farms Stoned Wheat Thins, a cracker that was a staple in my life since sometime around 1982. Of all the crackers out there, this cracker was like no other. It was delicious, whether it was served with a slice of cheese or on the side of a bowl of chili.

I was introduced to this very important cracker at the same time I first met my friend Juli. Up to that point, the only crackers I knew were Premium or Ritz.

The Stoned Wheat Thins and I had a good run. I munched on them through my twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties. And then, sometime in my early sixties, they were gone. I spent most of the COVID years on a low-carb diet known as "Lazy Keto."  By the time I was ready to taste them again, the distinct blue box with a Red Oval had disappeared from the shelves. I had more than a few grocery aisle conversations about the box missing from the shelves, and didn't get many answers until the internet informed me that Red Oval Farms had discontinued the cracker in 2022.

Add this cracker to the things absent from the world that I miss at least once a month. It's at the top, followed by the band REM, and the actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.