Catching up, part 2

My brother and I have birthdays that are just three weeks apart (he’s 11 months younger). This year, we invited him and his wife to dinner with us—unfortunately she had to make an emergency trip out of town, so we didn’t get to see her. But we did get to see Doug.

Since his birthday was just a couple of days after our get-together, I wanted to make him food that might remind him of fun times we had as kids, so I asked Kent to make chicken pot pie.

When Doug and I were little, we loved those awful chicken pot pies, you know the ones you get in the frozen food section, that are dirt cheap and made with chicken parts (best not to ask which parts), pasty gluey gravy, some weak pathetic carrots and peas, and of course the top crust?

I’ll be honest, the crust was the part I loved. I liked to pry the crust up as one piece and then eat it separately; the best crusts were the ones that got pretty brown around the edges. Then I’d sort of pick at the rest of the pot pie and eat some of it but mostly push it around in the little pot pie tin.

Doug and I used to play a game when we would eat dinner. We’d put our arms on the table around our dishes so we kind of encircled our own dishes, and then we’d pretend we were running away by paddling our feet. I’m sure we drove mom crazy because we’d make our feet run (which was noisy) and then laugh hysterically as only small kids can do.

Anyway, for dessert I made a chocolate cake. Doug always chose chocolate cake for his birthday (I always chose plain angel food cake, nothing on it), so I made him a cake. I think he had a good time, and I know I did.

Caves – another family story

This picture was probably taken when I was four and my brother was three. Despite the poor quality of the picture, can you see that my brother’s shirt matches the detailing on my dress? His pocket trim is the same as the trim across my bodice, and if I recall correctly, my mother had a grown up version of this dress too. I think she or my grandmother made it – I’ve always thought my mother made it but Mana could have very easily done it. To be honest, I never noticed until I scanned this picture that my brother's shirt matched my dress.

Anyway, I think this picture was taken before we went touring inside a cave. The name escapes me all these years later, although I think it started with a C so perhaps it was Cumberland Caves. My mother might remember.

Mostly what I remember about the trip is being so proud that my dress was like my mother’s and also how very cold I got inside the cave, and how nervous I was under all that rock. Other than that, I don’t remember who else was with us or what else we did that day. I just remember being proud of my dress that looked like my mother's dress.

I have proof

My dad is not so fond of kitties these days. He's more of a dog person, and doesn't like it when a kitty wants to sleep with him. To each their own, although at some point I'll write about the differences I see between dog people and cat people. Yes, I know it's been done to death, too bad.

Anyway I found this photo as I was sorting through loose pictures to decide which should go into albums, which should be given to family, and which should be pitched. From left to right is my brother, Doug, our dad, and me. Dad is holding the mama cat and we are each holding one of her kittens. First I cracked up at how cute the kittens were, and then I marveled at my dad holding not just a cat, but a Siamese cat. Now THAT is advanced kitty-ology! I don't recall if the mother cat had just the two kitties. I think she was the cat we named Cinnamon, and I believe we kept one of her boy kittens, and named him Simon.