Always Look at the Menu

"Don't you know," says my boy, "that it's restaurant etiquette to always look at the menu?"

This in response to my query as to why he was looking at the menu when he always orders the exact same thing: a grilled cheese sandwich on brown bread, with fries. 

We often, though not always, walk down to one of the cafés for supper on Thursday nights. It's a nice way to have our little visit. Often I'd take the Chinese food smorg, but have given that up in favour of a small plate of poutine: an unhealthy decadence I allow myself once a week and hope my arteries won't mind. 

Last Thursday our meal was paid for by the grey-haired gentleman sitting in the distance, who called out something about buying supper for "that skinny girl." Moi? Pfft. But I don't mind being called skinny; that's no insult to a woman who was taught from the time she was 12 years old that if she didn't count her calories and be careful, she was going to be fat. As if it was inevitable. Mom was always trying to lose weight. 

Eventually I saw that the inevitability of being a chubby adult woman was not a fact but simply a belief about reality, and I could choose to believe something different about what I could expect from my body. But that's another story. 

Yesterday when one of my co-workers pronounces me "scrawny" after I quip, while taking a third Dad's Goodie Ring, that too many cookies won't help me keep "my girlish figure," it's a welcome reinforcement. And apparently my clothing is doing a good job of camouflaging my muffin top!

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Maggie Turner has left a new comment on your post "Working Today": 

Critters Kate! The rabbits are eating my Mom's garden, right down to the ground. We have rabbits here, but I haven't seen any lately, and so far our garden is surviving. There are two local cats that wander the neighbourhood, and they use our front garden as a toilet, but what the heck, at least the plants there grow, and we wear gloves and masks when digging there, which we seldom do. The cats seldom catch birds, but stalk mice and chipmunks. The chipmunks are on the rebound though, watched a tiny chipmunk jumping at a grackle in the backyard this past weekend, it was funny to watch and the grackle won out, gave up no ground until the chipmunk gave it up.

I love pets, but in an urban setting they are a big responsibility and quite an expense. I have to make due fraternizing with the cat from across the street, who comes to visit often and is very friendly.

Funny old world, your years raising kids were the best of your life, mine were not much fun due to active ill will from third parties I care not to mention in polite society. Grandchildren, on the other hand, are remarkably, unexpectedly, wonderful. I guess we find our joy in life, wherever and whenever it is offered! 

Well I have yet to experience grandchildren, so maybe I'll change my mind about when the best years are!
Farmyards really need a couple barn cats, it seems. They live a dangerous life, the incorrigible hunter being also the prey of foxes and coyotes, but I think it's a good life, one with freedom they'd choose for themselves if they could. 

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Secret Agent Woman has left a new comment on your post "Working Today": 

Why is the squirrel a bad thing to have around? We have loads of them. A few bunnies and chipmunks, too. 

They can make a mess and damage property, and we have quite a few outbuildings. Otherwise we wouldn't mind a few about the place. 

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Ralph Goff has left a new comment on your post "Working Today": 

Yes, coyotes killed a lot of my cats. Down to 3 tom cats now. I need a dog to scare off the racoons that are way too numerous. I've had a small number of squirrels here for years and I keep a close watch to see they don't get too numerous. They look nice but they are just rats with bushy tails. 

Ha!
It sounds like Scott is picking up a couple barn cats tonight from a farm whose cat population has gotten too high. 

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Wisewebwoman has left a new comment on your post "Working Today": 

Yes, a wise move with so much at stake and those other predators to worry about.

XO

WWW 

We think so too. Little Ducky is afraid to go off the step after dark to "do his business." I have to stand out there and wait for him. That won't be so pleasant in the winter! Right now it's very nice, as the mosquitoes haven't arrived by the horde yet.