It’s in the genes

We ran down to my folks today--well, actually, we drove the truck--to return the tables we'd borrowed for the garage sale. In the space of a three-hour visit, my Mom fed us pizza, fruit salad (I didn't have any of that), chocolate chip cookies, and on the way out, she wanted us to try the white cheddar Cheezits she just loves and tried to send some home with us. Oh, and when they were at Aldi's the other day, they had raisin bread on sale for 50 cents a loaf. She said she couldn't believe her eyes, thought that had to be wrong, but sure enough, it was 50 cents.

So she bought twelve loaves, froze them, and sent one home with us.

I haven't had raisin bread for a while, but mmm, I love it toasted with butter on it! Yeahhhhh, TOAST!Thanks, Mom!

I swear, if you manage to get out of their house without eating something, you must have some kind of anti-food mojo going on, because Mom loves to feed people! I'm surprised she let me get away with not having any fruit salad, and didn't just dish me up a bowl and set it in front of me. She comes from a family of southern cooks, and I remember my Grandma being the same way, as well as all of Mom's sisters. They all cooked so similarly, and when we'd have family get-togethers, you can imagine the tables laden with food, all homemade. You don't see that so much anymore, which I find kind of sad. There are some things that taste pretty good out of the store, but it would be a cold day in hell before I took any kind of store-bought salad or other dish to a reunion or get-together. It's a matter of pride.

Anyhoo, we had a really nice visit, with talk of family matters--good and not-so-good--and travel. Dad has been retired for 30 years now, and they've been able to travel to many places in the country, including the northwest (they loved Mount Rushmore) and the southwest. I guess Ken and I both come by our travel bug honestly, because my parents have always loved to travel (The first time they went to Florida was in 1951...can you imagine how cool it was then, with the old motels and pre-interstate?), and so did Ken's folks.

Not only did I get my Mom's stocking-up gene, I guess I got the travel gene, as well. I suppose there are worse things to inherit from your parents, like, you know...bitchiness or psychoses.

**Last minute update before midnight: Rabbit rabbit rabbit!