Blair stopped in, this weekend, when she returned from her spring break trip and now I feel like one of those big, swollen, gray ticks that hang off the side of an ol' dog. 

Why, you ask?  Let me explain something about our family......

I believe that there are three kinds of eaters in this world and our family has a representative from each group. 

Carson belongs to the first group, the picky eaters.  His repertoire is quite limited.  Everybody knows one of these or has one in their family.  Food has to look just right.  Smell just right.  The texture has to be right.  The brands have to be right.  Dishes can't have too many colors or too much going on because the picky eaters' palates are very sensitive, so there are few foods which are appealing to them.  These are the people who can eat the same handful of things over and over and over and it's just fine with them.  They have boundaries which shall never be crossed.  Very narrow and constricting boundaries. 

I'm familiar with this group because I was once a part of them.  I was a picky eater when I was younger and, even though much better now, I still carry some of those tendencies with me in my middle agedness.  So, I guess you might call me a recovering picky eater.  I only want cheese and meat on my hamburgers or sandwiches......no condiments.  I despise any cold food unless it's a fruit or a dessert......no deviled eggs, no pasta salad, potato salad, green salad.  As a matter of fact, nothing that ends with the word, salad.  Period.  So, as difficult and as boring as it is to cook for him, I can't deny where Carson gets his discriminating taste.  Bless him. 
Davis belongs to the second group of eaters.....those who eat to survive.  You know any of those?  I find it hardest to relate to this group.  They can eat a whole meal without showing any outward sign of enjoyment.  To them, eating is the process by which nutrients are ingested in order to sustain life and its functions.  And, for them, the experience is about as fun as their definition sounds.  They are just as content to eat a sandwich as they are a homemade meal.  As long as it keeps them alive throughout the day, they're good.   

Davis is what we call our scavenger.  He will finish off any leftovers in the refrigerator.  Some that I would hesitate to serve the dog.  He's like the vulture, who comes in and cleans up what nobody else wants.  After all, it's just food.  This group is amazing to watch with their robotic eating.....and incredible discipline.  Eating is just all business.  It's like breathing.....just do it.  So, while Davis is always appreciative of the meals I cook, there's just not a big change in his enthusiasm between peanut butter crackers and shrimp scampi.  Hard to get overly excited about cooking for this group.          
Then, we have the third group and they're the people who live to eat.....or look awfully forward to it.  Blair falls into this category and, even though I'm a recovering picky eater, I feel closest to this group.  They are my people.  We thoroughly enjoy our food.  It's not uncommon to hear us let out moans several times during a meal or to do narration for our taste buds.  It's just so hard to stifle our feelings.  We're those people who get up from one meal and start talking about what we're having for the next one.  "Taste and see that the Lord is good" is what we say.   

Needless to say, these kinds of people are fun to cook for.  So much positive feedback.  It gives you joy to give them such joy.  Which brings me to why I feel like a big, tight, gray tick hanging off of an ol' dog.  When Blair comes home, I cook a lot and this weekend was no exception.  The final menu plan is usually set only after several series of texts discussing this important matter in depth with her.  And, so, this weekend, we ate and ate and ate.......and she and I moaned.....while Carson picked......and Davis took in his required nutrients. 

Also, in weekend news, Carson bought an electric guitar and amp on Saturday.  There was the choice between a 5 amp or a 10 amp.  Of course, we went with the 10.  Duh.  They had to order the candy apple red guitar.  So, it will all be here in 2 weeks therefore I have that long to brace myself. 

We were looking contently at the acoustic guitars.  The salesman was strumming and it was so soothing.......like John Denver or James Taylor.  Then, a guy came in off the street and started playing "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Stairway to Heaven" over in the electric guitar section.  That was it.  "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy" just can't compete with "She's got eyes of the bluest skies", I suppose.  Not when you're 15.  So, I'm sure it will be some time before it sounds like Guns N' Roses over here.....may just sound like guns for a while.  But, we will cope.   

And........we are currently in the process of getting a third pharmacy/gift shop ready to open and so my time will be really, really limited this week.  I hope to be back here before the Easter week is over but, if I'm not, you'll know where I am! 


 Have a great day!