The Pleasure of Real Food

Yesterday for Sunday dinner Hubby snacked on thin slices of ham straight from the Sam's package along with some super spicy red pepper cheese logs. Unable to tolerate the cheese, I settled for teaspoons of extra crunchy peanut butter straight from the jar. We were quite the gourmands.

In our defense, we had gone out for breakfast at 10 a.m. Both of us had eaten some scrambled eggs. Hubby added in biscuits, grits, and syrup, while I had some . . . mystery meat of some kind.

Last night I wandered around the house, feeling really unsatisfied, but the only thing I could find to eat was another couple of teaspoons of the peanut butter.

This morning dawned cold and dreary. I had "metal detector" duty at school -- exactly what it sounds like. Like at the airports, I shift through the suspect backpacks and purses after they have been submitted to x-ray scope eyes. It's hateful and tiring and demeaning for everyone . . . and sets the morning off completely wrong (and I'm on the duty until the end of the school year).

Then I was called down to an unexpected IEP meeting where I requested to take on another case. I didn't really want the child -- she's okay but the mother is a pain in the patoot.

Somehow through all of that, I just skipped breakfast. Lunch was a hot dog in a very old onion roll, that microwaving didn't improve. The orange that Hubby had included was all dried out and fit only for the trash bin.

On Monday afternoons I teach one of my students at the After School Program (ASP). He got suspended for the second time because of gang activity and since he is required by law to get SPED services, I'm on call on Monday's to be his tutor. Being cold and rainy, the kid didn't show, of course.

On the way home after sitting around an hour waiting for Hubby, I thought of asking to stop and pick up some fast food -- chicken or maybe fish, but even the effort to decide which made me even more tired and I decided that a bowl of Campbell's soup would be just fine, too.

The house, when I walked in, was full of meat smells. Honestly, I can't think of anything sweeter than simmering meat unless maybe it's chocolate chip cookies. As I was pulling off the bra -- the first thing that always comes off on arrive home -- Hubby was in the kitchen dishing up the sweetest pot roast, potatoes, carrots, onions -- and glory be! GRAVY!!!!! Homemade, thick, redolent, beefy gravy!!!!!

Now with a fully belly and after a warm bath, I'm ready for bed. But I think I'll make one last trip to the kitchen for another couple of those tender carrots bathed in a little cold gravy.