Go forth to the kitchen and multiply

 

To gain greater joy at my sense of achievement, I should probably pile the laundry all together rather than put it away as I go. I’m on my fifth load of sheets, bath towels, beach towels, and mattress pads, but the pile in the hall stubbornly continues.

          After a three-day visit, our daughter and her family left for the airport shortly after noon. It’s always an adjustment to expand this life of two people to include four more, two of them teen boys – one a 6’2” eighteen year-old, the other growing in that direction at thirteen-plus.

          We were the finish line for them after several days at DisneyWorld, so I didn’t feel too compelled to entertain. After all those days in the Magic Kingdom anything else would be a poor second. A boat ride through the area, a day at the beach, a little time at the pool was probably soothing after roller coasters, fireworks, and visits to all the foreign lands of Epcot.

          We ate out for several meals, but still my small kitchen and smaller fridge groaned at the effort of cranking out enough for snacks, quick lunches, and more snacks. I’ve raised kids, you’d think I’d remember, but keeping the supply chain going was a challenge. We might be leaving for dinner in an hour, but any cheese, fruit, chips, guacamole, or hummus and vegetables were vacuumed up as quickly as I put them out.

          This morning,  after pancakes, eggs, and fruit at 9:30, and supplies depleted, everyone was circling again two hours later. The miracle of the loaves and fishes had nothing on me. Another desperate search of the refrigerator and I unearthed three pieces of leftover pizza, and then created a pile of mini roll-ups out of tortillas, ham, and cheese, and added the rest of the grapes, and two bags of chips.