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 Leftovers
By Shirley Miller Stein
Each year
for the past 15 years, our oldest grandson, 24 year old
Daniel along with his brother Josh, age 22, has been
visiting us in Key Largo. Most of the year we all live in
the “Frozone,” (Sharon) so the lure of sun, scuba diving,
fishing, swimming and snorkeling under balmy skies is a
treat each winter. The boys usually stay two weeks. When
they first flew as nine and seven year olds, these
“unescorted minors” came adorned with huge red and white ID
placards strung around their little necks. We were thrilled
to welcome them, as well as our eight other grandchildren.
One thing we learned about all the grandkids’ visits is that
they can pack it away... eat, eat and eat some more. At this
stage of our lives, Ira and I eat simply. Our main meal is
lunch.
When Daniel called and said he and his wife, Kim, were
coming, we flew into high gear. First, the baking. Ira, the
globally renowned master of craisin challahs and chocolate
chip diet-busters baked 10 hours a day, or so it seemed.
Daniel loves chocolate-chocolate chippers; Kim prefers white
ones. Me? I like them all, burned. The oven, aided by an
unseasonable heat spell, transformed our modest hacienda was
into a freestanding sauna as we mopped our brows, baked,
cooled and froze the vaunted goodies.
Other food, you ask? You name it, we bought it. Shop, shop,
shop became our mantra. Whisking around BJ’s and Publix
became our modus vivendi. When I looked in the fridge a few
days before the kids arrived I panicked. My terror spread to
Ira who also became alarmed. What would we feed these poor
starving medical students, skinny, exhausted from long days
of studies and caring for sick patients? We’d best stock
up...not with just healthy food but...of course...goodies
galore. Heavens, these kiddies need nurturing and lots of
TLC!
We ‘schlepped’ home, bag after bag of turkey, salmon, lox,
cream cheese, whole wheat bagels, sour cream, brownie mixes,
veggies, fruits, walnuts, cereals, pretzels (salty & whole
grain) “health bars,” Breyers ice cream, whipped cream,
Hershey’s fudge syrup. Oh, did I forget anything? Oh, Yes!
Pizza crusts, Barilla sauces, cheeses up the kazoo; sharp
cheddar, baby Swiss, pepper jack, Muenster, mozzarella.
Well, our newlywed med students arrived a few “daze” ago.
When I opened the fridge & gave chapter and verse on “what
we had in the house” Daniel and Kim sighed, thanked us
profusely but said oh dear, they had forgotten to tell us
something. After Daniel took a recent course in
Environmental Ecology these lovebirds eat only organic!
Anyone want to join us for dinner the next six months?
About The Author
Shirley Miller Stein, MSW, offers PowerPoint programs
to senior and educational venues throughout Greater Boston.
A sample of topics include: The Wonderful World of
Chocolate, Dazzling World of Diamonds, Blue Zones: Living
Till 100 and The Remarkable Eleanor Roosevelt. You may reach
Shirley via email at savtie@yahoo.com for additional
information.
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