I am of the very humble opinion that everyone should have a summer lodge in their life. Nestled in a forest
of lodge pole pines it welcomes you in with the harmonious aromas of bacon
frying in the kitchen, split logs burning in the fireplace and comfy leather
chairs that just seem to say, RELAX and enjoy yourself.
Some of my earliest
memories are sitting in the big wooden
chairs up to the big wooden table with the mug of wildflowers as a centerpiece
in the big log dining room at the lodge with its stuffed bears looking down on us. The waitress wearing an apron over her jeans
and wielding a wooden pencil and an order pad moved from person to person
around the table asking each family member for their order. I knew I would have
bacon, hash browns and an egg and I would always request that my egg be prepared
Sunny-Side-Up! I adored the sound of it
~ Sunny-Side-Up. I loved saying it. Sunny-Side-Up.
It had a happy ring to it. And that fit with how I felt.
I did, however, after time, determine that I didn’t really
care for the taste of Sunny-Side-Up eggs as the yolk was often times a little
too liquid for my liking. So alas, I
reluctantly started to say I’ll have my eggs Scrambled.
“Scrambled”…what a lackluster thing to say and truth be told
a confusing way to start a day, but that’s what it was until…one day when I was
about 8 years old and we were having Sunday brunch at an elegant grand old
hotel sitting on an elegant chair around an elegant table with its white table cloth,
silver service ware and crystal goblets and its vase of perfectly elegant roses
as a centerpiece.
My dear, proper, elegant great aunt sitting next to me told the waiter (a well manicured man dressed in a tux and wielding a memory that held every order without taking notes) that she would like her eggs prepared as “Eggs Benedict”. Eggs Benedict…my life changed at that moment.
My dear, proper, elegant great aunt sitting next to me told the waiter (a well manicured man dressed in a tux and wielding a memory that held every order without taking notes) that she would like her eggs prepared as “Eggs Benedict”. Eggs Benedict…my life changed at that moment.
Over the years as I traveled around the country and around
the world I would go to elegant places and order “Eggs Benedict” for
breakfast. I liked the way it sounded
and I loved the way it tasted.
When the children had grown and Dale started doing more of
the cooking he picked up on his love of omelets ~ a taste developed in Paris.
He said that every Parisian grandmother felt she had the perfect omelet recipe and
technique and he learned a few. So on
lazy Saturday mornings I would request Dale’s omelets as my egg preparation of
choice. But alas, his secret to making perfect omelets died along with him.
And so now, with it being just me and after all I have seen and
done and lived through, I find that I tend to order my egg…”Over Easy”. That fits now. I like how it sounds. "Over Easy". And it leads me into a gentle, pleasant,
“avoid any undue stress” kind of a good day. Over Easy. It’s a good way to start a good day
for someone my age. I absolutely, positively refuse to start my day Hard Boiled!
But I do love that little bright eyed girl that still lives inside
of me, that cheerfully ordered Sunny-Side-Up to start the morning. And I'm glad my life memories started out with breakfast at the summer lodge.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT #16 - FATHER part 2 of 3
What was your father's attitude...
- toward life...
- toward religion...
- toward politics...
- toward your mom....
- toward you
Describe a tender moment, a special outing, a learning experience and/or the nicest thing he ever did for you!
Tell about your relationship with your Dad, i.e., did you play catch? If you didn't, did that bother you, if you did, what did that mean to you. Etc.
What did you do when you had time together.
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