"Okay," he replied. Check. It's off my mental to-do list. I have effectively communicated the status of the pie to my husband.
I took a shower and was brushing my teeth, etc. while our cat, Max, kept meowing at me and I couldn't do anything to make him stop. He had plenty of food and water, he has been well admired. I just couldn't figure it out.
A few minutes later, Kurt had figured it out. I hear him say, "Oh, sweetie..." in a long, drawn-out, oops-sort-of tone. Uh oh. I rush out to the living room - to the place where the pie waited to leave. The paper towel no longer hovered weightlessly over the pie. Instead, it was hard pressed, so to speak. There was a puncture in the pie with the once-dry paper towel leading the way to the bottom of the pie pan, lemon juice seeping its way up the paper's fibers. We realized the "hole" was exactly the size of our Max's paw pressing through the pie. It was merely a hurdle in his cruise over the furniture.
Kurt was in stitches he was laughing so hard. First I laughed, then I cried, and then I laughed again.We can't really blame Max - he's used to walking over piles of papers, and he just didn't recognize this new obstacle as food for a human feast. The thought of him innocently stepping into something mushy when he expected a firm surface and then probably darting across the house (unnoticed by us) in shock is pretty funny. We think his meowing was perhaps an apology or the distinct disapproval and disdain of lemon after licking his paw to remove the tart dessert from in between his spread-out paw. How do cats pucker anyway?
Despite the little dent in part of my contribution to the meal, I am thankful for my cat. I am thankful for lemon meringue. I am thankful for my husband's laugh and sense of humor to help me see the joy in the little inconvenience.
There are so many things to be thankful for: the time spent with my mama visiting while making 16 pies, the gathering and fellowship of family, sharing and enjoying two Thanksgiving dinners in one day, old traditions and making changes to accommodate the times, my sister's goofy side which always makes me giddy, Nathan's first taste of stuffing and turkey and his many expressions, Ender hugging my leg and his little divided plate of Thanksgiving food, holding "short and sweet" baby Liam, recipe cards, "cutting in butter," the familiar bowl for candied yams, gluten-free options for Jen, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, chocolate chip pecan pie, hugs and kisses, being both a niece and an aunt, Gayle and I dressing the same without the "text," the beauty of feast preparation, aprons, utensils, music in the background, laughter, dish soap, coffee with pie, realizing how blessed I am, impromptu charades with my papa to guess a movie title, rain in the desert, the crisp, clean mountains after a hard rain, cool breezes floating through the warm kitchen from outside, multi-colored funky potholders, reminders of goodness, a full tummy, a full heart, and Love.
Gratefully,
Dawn
