Theoretically, we know what a vacation is. When the pandemic raged, we heard an awful lot about the staycation. Today, we introduce the straycation. On a straycation, you wander each day, possibly with a destination in mind, possibly just for the ride. When you get home in the late afternoon, you take a little nap…
Category: Life With Ben
The Redcoats are Coming! The Redcoats are Coming! (How to pick your battles.)
This week, Ben attended “Special Prom,” an event hosted by somebody with a gigantic heart, whose child has special needs. Ben wanted to look “snazzy,” so he went shopping at a thrift store, and this jacket is what he not only found, but set his heart on. For a mere $3, this guy felt like…
Wild Life!
Thinking of Ben, my friend at work gave us some deer baloney. Thanks, Tammy! Once Ben laid eyes on it in the fridge, I knew he would remain agitated until we had a plan for its consumption. That Saturday morning, like usual, he began clamoring for “special breakfast.” What is “special breakfast,” you ask? Well,…
We’re Off to See the Wizard!
The CTL’s production of The Wizard of Oz this weekend was amazing! As the wizard, Ben felt a wizard cake was in order. What is a wizard cake, you ask? Whatever your answer is, yes, you’re right. It was the first thing I could think of to say when Ben wanted to be feted with…
A Date With Bacon
Ben and bacon. Can you think of a better match? I can’t! This week, Ben suggested breakfast for dinner: biscuits with sausage gravy, and scrambled eggs. To his great delight, I beat him to the bacon punch, and suggested we add bacon-wrapped dates to the menu. On Christmas, his cousins made dozens of these for…
The Ramen Approximation
When Sophia struck off on her own adult life after college, I made her a cookbook including recipes I knew she loved. One of the recipes I included was something I called “The Ramen Approximation,” and it included notes for a new cook about the most efficient way to produce something ramen-ish that tastes way…
Present Tense
Phil, the historian’s son, could be said to be a man of the past, constantly accumulating knowledge and artifacts from earlier times. As a teacher, I not only plan for the future, I shape it. But, Ben? Ben is all in on the present. Sure, he remembers any good meal or time he ever had…
My Associate
The past week has been rough. First, I got sick and stayed in bed coughing, staring, and dripping for five days. Two days in, Phil succumbed. According to our tests, it wasn’t Covid, but it sure wasn’t pleasant either. While I was at the height of misery, Ben happened to be home due to weather,…
Church Pew
The yuletide season is upon us and I should tell you a lovely Christmas story. Instead, I’ll tell you what could be a chapter in a book called Ben’s Church Antics. It must have been about ten years ago that our family put on a spontaneous Christmas pageant of sorts, and it is time to…
Old Seoul
If you are waiting to see how the whole cannoli thing from last week worked out, skip to the end. If, however, you are interested in Korean, Mexican, Hawaiian, and Mennonite cultural appropriation (can one appropriate her own culture?), then you’d best read straight through. This week, Ben asked for Taco Tuesday. I confirmed that…