Dear Kid,

“Who wants to help me make cookies and then go for a long walk?” your sister asked.

Not a completely unreasonable suggestion (for it was more suggestion than question). Except that it was already 9:15pm when she asked.

In between watching the Olympic races (mostly swimming at that hour), Dad and Pi baked 4,892 chocolate chip cookies. Dad announced every few seconds that this was the first time he’d ever made cookies from scratch. It was kind of a sport in and of itself: mix cookie dough, race back into the family room to catch up on the Olympics, race back to the kitchen before the dough is overmixed, yell to find out who the announcers are talking about, scoot the cookies in the oven, pray that the next race will end prior to the timer going off. You get the picture.

By the time Pi and I set off for a walk it was next Tuesday. Who goes for a walk at 11pm? Your sister that’s who. Who thinks it’s a good idea to go for a walk at 11pm when it’s raining and the humidity is about a zillion percent? Your sister that’s who. And who accompanies her? You got it on the first guess.

We had took the Puppy with us on the first lap, but then he was smart enough to want to go inside where it was dry, there was a comfy pillow to sleep on, and someone might be talked into giving him a treat.

Pi and I and our umbrellas continued to walk. Our Fitbits appreciated it. We also got a bit of time to catch up which is always nice and frequently entertaining.

Today’s plan (if she ever decides to wake up) is a mad dash to get her ready for college.

Yikes! My baby goes to college this week.

I’d best go lie down for a bit.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Things NOT to do when you’re cooking.

1. Overcook the green beans. Mushy. Keep an eye on those babies.
2. Cut a whole bunch of onions.  Easy to tear up. Hard to see. Therefore hard to keep an eye on the green beans.
3. Step on the Puppy. Hoping something drops on the floor. Except onions.
4. Undercook the green beans. Better than overcooking. But too crunchy.
5. Cut a whole bunch of yourself. Good for the Band-Aid people. Not so good for anyone else.
6. Experiment with a new recipe. Generally better to make something once and then go for variations. Except sometimes.
7. Burn the green beans. Tricky little buggers.
8. Miss when transferring soup to a container. Makes the Puppy happy. Not so good for anyone else.
9. Set off the smoke detector. Hard to see through the smoke. Leads to stepping on a barking puppy.
10. Forget the green beans. Tricky and sneaky little buggers.

Happy cooking.

Love, Mom