Back Around the House II: One of the great ones

0

Easter 2000 was one of the great ones. Everybody made it home.

We baked the ham Saturday night, so it was cool enough to slice for dinner Sunday morning. But this was all I got done toward Easter dinner Saturday night. There were other things to do.

First I had to fill 24 Easter goody bags with chocolate candy parents usually don’t buy their kids. Then I had to fill the giant Easter basket with chocolate candy the grandkid’s parents don’t buy for themselves. I don’t count how many bags of candy we use because I don’t want to know.

Then I had to put coins in plastic eggs for the grand Easter egg hunt after dinner. I filled more than 200 eggs of all colors and sizes.

After Mass Sunday morning, I had to make an emergency run to the grocery. I couldn’t really stock up on supplies because we had to empty the refrigerator so it could be moved the next day so the new kitchen flooring could be installed. Consequently I ran short of some necessities such as sour cream. Actually I put too much salt in the mix; and needed another pint so I could make the first one edible.

The family began to arrive about 11 a.m. By the then the escalloped potatoes and the candied yams were baking in the oven, and I was ready to slice the ham amidst the whirl of activity as they arrived and unpacked the treats they had brought for dessert. Relish trays were arranged and put on the table with the cheese, sausage, crackers and dip (which was no longer too salty. The children eyed the goody bags, but amazingly enough, none of them made any attempt to get into them.

Finally, dinner was served. They each picked up the family china (Hefty trays) and silver (plastic ware) and moved through the buffet line as I collapsed into an empty chair.

I recovered by the time they all had their first helpings. As I approached the food, one of my daughters observed, “Mom, you should have been first in line, not last!” This made me feel good, but I had to admit two things. First I wasn’t ready to eat then. Second, because I had tasted all the desserts when they brought them in.

After dinner the girls cleaned up the kitchen. Then it took five men 15 minutes to hide the plastic eggs it took me two hours to fill with coins. We turned the grandkids loose and in less than five minutes every egg was found.

Special glee was reserved for the finders of the Eddy egg and the John egg which are our annual memorials for our son, John, and our grandson, Eddy, who died before Easter a few years ago. This year they each contained a new gold dollar and a paper to exchange for a special gift, and they were found by John’s daughters.

After they put their coins in their new bunny banks, the older grandkids began to play softball in the way-back yard. I blew bubbles with the little ones. We had wands of all shapes and sizes, but they all formed round bubbles which the little ones quickly and burst.

They allowed me to rest for a few minutes when they tired of those games. Then they sent the littlest ones to ask if we could take a walk. I sent them to find my walking shoes and they did.

The walk had an added event this time. Jeffrey had learned the old song about “Peanut sitting on a railroad track. His heart was all aflutter. Train came roaring down the track. Toot! Toot! Peanut butter.”

We had to take along peanuts to put on the railroad track The trains weren’t running that day so I suppose the squirrels enjoyed the peanuts or the peanut butter.

When we returned from the walk we sat around and exchanged tales of yesteryears and snacked until they all went home.

Yep! Easter, 2000 was a happy, holy day. I can hardly wait until this Easter Sunday.

Author’s Note: This column was first published in the Greenville Advocate April 11, 2001.

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2017/04/web1_KathleenFloydPRINT-1.jpg

By Kathleen Floyd

Back Around the House II

Kathleen Floyd is a volunteer citizen columnist, who serves The Daily Advocate readers weekly with her column Back Around the House II. She can be reached at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

No posts to display