the short version... oh who am I kidding

They finished re-doing the bridge that provides access to civilization where my Mom lives. (you could escape but it involved a long round-a-bout method or three.) So my Mom and sister came to visit today. They needed their dose of society. We always have presents for each other when we see one another. It is just a given. You are related to us in some fashion -there will be gifts. My Mother brought chicken eggs and six goose eggs. Apparently her pet geese are on an egg-laying bender. I may bake with them. One goose egg equals three chicken eggs. My Mom is just down to 7 chickens. (six chickens and one quality rooster who does his job right) Plus the two geese and the one duck. My Mom also brought this cookbook she has. It was a wedding present from her Mother eons ago. It is filled with all of these recipes hand-written by my Grandmother. Many of them family recipes. I sense future posts around these recipes. Some of them I have wanted for awhile. My Mother is letting me borrow the book so I can go through the recipes. My sister and I will have to divide this book one day or something. It is a book that helped to teach me to cook. Plus it has my Grandmother's hand-writing. So it is a bit of a talisman or something.
Whenever my family encounter each other, we have presents in some form or another for one another. Always. It isn't something huge, but just something. A book, often food, maybe something that once belonged to other family members and has potential sentimental value or pictures. You encounter my relations and often the start of the visit/conversation is, "oh I have something for you." So this time it was eggs and books. (even some books for Senor Onion) For my Mom I bought her this British knitting magazine she had been looking for (it had the second part of this amazing set of mice patterns from the guy who created the Shaun the Sheep patterns -Wallace & Gromit) and I also sent her and my sister home with some vanilla cookies, a bar of some fancy-pants chocolate and a jar of rhubarb jam that I had made. See. Can't send people home empty-handed. It just isn't done.
( Field trip! )

Then it was back to the house for burgers, chips, jello salad, fruit, agua frescas and cornichons. There was rhubarb custard tart and assorted ice creams for dessert. As usual I made sure everyone was stuffed. There was knitting and whatever after dinner. Again as usual. We have our rituals.

It was fun to see people and hear the local gossip.

Now to face the week!