HAPPILY, IN SPITE OF

the Yard Man's and my recent visit to see them, five days ago our Dark-haired Daughter and David came home from North Carolina for a visit.  As usual, we relished the concentrated time of togetherness.  As usual, we added the rest of the family, and food, and laughter, and a few snippy remarks, and mixed well.  Reader Dear, if you care to follow this recipe you may also add (should you be so fortunate as to have it on hand) some fabulous weather!  It facilitates eating outdoors.  Which in turn greatly facilitates clean-up! (Corn-cobs, you see, and other edible scraps,  can be tossed to a whole assortment of  animals trotting or strutting or galloping about the property [Though it's true that flare-ups can occur.  The dog went after the chicken for attempting to have herself a few measly kernels of corn. No doubt she was feeling a great sense of entitlement [I was indignant on her behalf, Reader Dear!] due to the breakfast fare I'd  been serving up daily to my DNA-carriers-et-al.])



Even lacking a single wing-flapping or four-legged creature in attendance, an outdoor (extended) family meal (where the invitation sent by a sister of the Yard Man pretty much said "Everybody come!  Bring some food!") was easier to tidy up for the fact of being served atop grass and under sky* (Though, er, it's true I didn't stick around to verify this fact, tsk, tsk.)



 

 

 

 

 Of course, for simply standing up and walking away from dirty dishes, food scraps and spills, crumbs on the floor and crumpled napkins, nothing beats walking into a pizza shop and arranging the family around a table with ten chairs, two booster seats and a high chair.

(It's pretty handy for getting a great meal on the table without much work, as well!)

......

(And that about cleans up this tale of clean-up)