COMFORT SOUP

My husband Steven came into the living room where I was still in my pajamas, curled up in a chair reading a book.

“What do you want to do for dinner tonight?” He asked.

I looked over at the clock. Having gotten lost in my reading I didn’t realize it was dinnertime. “Wait.” I was confused. “It’s only three o’clock.”

“I know but we’re on our own tonight for dinner and I thought maybe you’d like to order out.”

I threw my book on the coffee table and jumped up. “Wonton soup! Wonton soup!” I cried.

Steven smiled. “I had a feeling you were going to say that. Let’s get dressed and pick it up now and we can eat it whenever we want.”

“I’m in!” I cried as I went to our bedroom to get dressed.

Steven and I quickly got dressed and as we were passing our son Alex’s door, I knocked and called out. “We’re going to get wonton soup! Do you want anything?”

“No thanks.” I heard him say through the door. “I’m going out to dinner.”

“Okay. We’ll be back soon.” I hurried to the front hall closet and grabbed my coat.

We were always looking for a good Chinese restaurant and when Steven found this place I fell in love with their wonton soup. It was my new winter I-don’t-feel-like-cooking comfort soup. It was about fifteen minutes from our house but I considered that definitely worth it.

“Getting home before dark is a giant plus.” I said as I climbed in the car.

“Exactly what I was thinking.” Steven said as he got behind the wheel.

I rubbed my gloved hands together. “How many quarts do you think we should get?” I asked as Steven backed out of the driveway.

“Well, I’m getting a quart for myself.”

“Two quarts it is!” I reached over to turn up the heat.

Steven reached over and patted me on the leg. “Aren’t I the best husband for thinking about this for dinner?”

I looked over at him and smiled. “You are the best husband for thinking about this for dinner.” I agreed then cleared my throat. “And I’m the best wife for having cheap cravings, like wonton soup, instead of a wife who’d crave steak and tails.”

“That’s true.” Steven started to laugh. “I do consider myself lucky that you’ve always been a cheap date.”

“You’re welcome.”

We pulled into the parking lot. Steven left the car running and opened his door.

“Oh, don’t forget the crispy chow mein noodles.” I reminded him.

“Don’t worry, it comes with the soup.” He said as he closed the door.

I watched him walk across the parking lot to the restaurant, holding the brim of his hat against the wind.

When he went inside I leaned over to turn on some music. “You know, it’s simple things like this that makes me happy.” I said to myself.

I looked back at the restaurant. “Now let’s just hope he remembers to grab a few fortune cookies on his way out.”

PEACE AND HARMONY

I was sitting on the couch looking out at the snow covered ground when my son Alex came into the room.

“What are you up to today?” he asked as he sat down next to me.

“I’m hoping to have a nice calm indoor day today.” I said as I pointed out the window. “I’m not a big lover of snow.”

I saw him crinkle his nose. “What’s that smell?”

“Oh…” I held up my hand to show him my wrist that had a band-aid on it. “It’s Vicks VapoRub”

“Why?”

“I saw a TikTok video that said if you put a small amount on your wrist and cover it with a band-aid it’s suppose to help manage stress, reduce my anxiety, and have an overall calming effect on my body.”

“Is it working?” Alex asked with a laugh.

“I’m not sure. I just put it on a few minutes ago.” I reached over to the coffee table and picked up the book I’d been reading while Alex scrolled through his phone.

After reading for a few minutes I began to sniffle and my eyes started to water.

“Are you getting sick?” Alex asked, looking up from his phone.

I put my book down and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. “My eyes are burning.” I explained. “I wonder if the fumes from the Vicks is what’s bothering my eyes?”

“Well, that’s not good.”

“Oh man!” I pulled the band-aid off. “I’ve got to get this stuff off of me.” I went to my bathroom to wash it off.

I came back to the living room with a damp towel, pressing it against my eyes. “That was a complete fail.” I said sitting back down on the couch.

Alex shook his head. “Imagine that.”

“What?”

“Something you saw on the internet that doesn’t really work!”

“Hey,” I said with a laugh. “It was worth a try.”

“Was it really?”

“No. It wasn’t.” I admitted as I got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing a tissue off the counter-top to blow my nose.

“Hey, I’m going to make some chai tea.” I called out to Alex as I grabbed the kettle to fill it with water. “Do you want some?”

“No thanks.” He called back.

I came back into the living room waiting for the water to boil.

“Is that your next experiment for calming?” He asked. “Chai tea?”

“Oh, this one isn’t an experiment.” I leaned back against the cushions and put my feet up on the coffee table. “I already know it works.”

KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON

“Oh, come on!” I cried as I sat down on the couch after cleaning the kitchen and saw another section of our Christmas tree lights had gone out. “What’s the deal with you?”

“Who are you talking to?” My son Alex asked as he walked into the living room.

I pointed to our tree. “Another section went out! I’m really starting to hate this…” I held my hands up to do air quotes for “pre-lit tree!”

“Well, it made it past Christmas.” Alex tried to reason with me.

“No, it didn’t!” I said as I got up and went to the hall closet, reaching up on the shelf where several boxes of Christmas tree lights were stacked. “I’m glad I got a few boxes of these at the beginning of the season.” I opened the box, plugged the light into the middle of the tree and began wrapping the new lights around the burnt out sections.

“Can you grab the other end of this?” I asked Alex as I held out the bulk of the lights while trying to weave them around the already hung ornaments.

“Sure.” Alex took them while I, inch by inch, tucked them around the branches.

When we were done I stood back to see if I’d gotten all the right sections. “It’s so ridiculous!” I complained. “This is only the third year for this tree!”

I was shaking my head as I went over to fix the position of some of the lights. “I knew getting a pre-lit tree was a mistake.”

“Hey, I was with you and Dad when you bought this.” Alex sat down on the couch putting his feet up on the coffee table. “Don’t you remember we couldn’t find one that wasn’t pre-lit?”

I sighed as I sat down next to him. “Why is it that they keep making things that, at first, seem like they’re better but instead they turn out to be a cheep version of the original?”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Progress?”

I had to laugh. “Progress.” I too put my feet up on the coffee table leaning back against the cushions.

We heard the key in the front unlock and felt a blast of cold air sweep through the room.

“It sure is cold out there!” My husband Steven called from the foyer as he unzipped his coat and put it in the front hall closet. “What are you two up to?” He asked as he came into the living room.

“We’re just sitting here enjoying the tree.” Alex said.

Steven stood next to the couch. “The tree really looks great.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “You know I really didn’t think I’d like this tree, but it seems to be working out great.” He patted my shoulder before heading into the kitchen. “What are we doing for lunch?” He called.

“The crock pot had chicken soup ready for you.” I called back.

Alex leaned over to me. “He doesn’t know that the lights on the tree keep going out?” He whispered.

I shook my head. “He knew about the one strand that went out before Christmas but you jiggled the wire and it came back on.” I looked over my shoulder to see if Steven was still in the kitchen. “After that I’d just fix it before your Dad came home.”

Alex looked confused. “Why didn’t you tell him?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s all part of keeping the Christmas magic alive.”

“What?”

But before I could answer further Steven came back in the room holding a mug of chicken soup, blowing on the surface before taking a sip. “What can I say…” He said as he put the mug on the coffee table and sat down next to me. “It’s another year and another great Christmas.” He leaned forward and looked at Alex who was sitting on the other side of me. “Am I right?”

“You’re right.” Alex agreed.

I turned to Alex and smiled. “That’s why.”

SNOW CHECK

I went to sleep knowing that overnight we were going to be having our first snowfall of the season. The weather forecasters had predicted 2 to 3 inches so I really wasn’t concerned.

When I woke up the next morning and went to my bedroom window to take a peek, I let out a long sigh.

Instead of the predicted 2 to 3 inches, we got triple that. “Oh great.” I grumbled as I grabbed my robe off the foot of our bed and went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

My son Alex was already in the kitchen. “It’s pretty.” He said as he pointed to our backyard.

He wasn’t wrong.

Tying my robe I looked out the kitchen window and could see that all the limbs on the bushes and trees were still covered in snow. I could hear the neighborhood kids already outside playing. Their laughter almost making it hard to still be upset about what the day ahead looked like for me.

Almost.

“I hate shoveling snow.” I said as I opened the cabinet and reached for my tea cup.

My husband Steven came into the kitchen already dressed for the weather. “I’m going out to start up the snowblower.”

“We’ll be out in a minute to help shovel the sidewalks.” I began filling the kettle with water. “Oh, wait a minute!” I cried. “We have lunch plans with Kathy and her daughter Rikki!”

Steven pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll text Rikki and let her know we’ll have to reschedule.”

“Tell her we’ll need a snow check.” I laughed as I put the kettle on the stove. “You know, it’s like a rain check only with snow!”

Steven shook his head. “I got it.”

Several moments later Steven’s phone chirped, “Rikki says that we can just push it back to dinner instead of lunch.” He looked over at me, his eyes wide.

“Ah. That’s so sweet.” I said with a laugh. “She doesn’t think of us as old.”

Alex looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Rikki actually thinks we can dig ourselves out and still want to do something beside lay on the couch for the rest of the day and share a tube of Bengay!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “That really is sweet.”

Steven shook his head and held up his phone. “So what do you want me to text back to her?”

“The truth!” I said dropping a tea bag in my cup. “We’re old, we’ll be doing physical labor for about an hour, maybe two and that’s all we can manage for today.” I began pouring the hot water into my cup. “Oh, and don’t forget to asked for a snow check!” I laughed. “I’m really starting to like that phrase.”

“I’m not saying snow check.” Steven said as he began texting back.

“Ah, you’re no fun.” I laughed. “I’d watch out or you might get a snowball thrown at you while you’re snow blowing!”

“See?” Alex said. “You’re not that old if you’re talking about having a snowball fight.”

FEEDING FAIL

“I had such high hopes.” I said with a sigh as I looked out my kitchen window to our backyard.

My son Alex came up next to me. “What are you talking about?”

I pointed to the split open pumpkin laying at the edge of our woods. “I thought they’d be thrilled to have that as a treat.” I picked up my cup of tea from the counter and took a sip.

“Really?” Alex said with a laugh.

I leaned against the counter top. “I had this whole scene in my head when I put it out there instead of throwing it to the curb.”

“What scene was in your head?” Alex asked as he went over and began fixing his coffee.

“Well, now it’s just going to sound silly if I tell you.” I said taking another sip from my cup.

“Try me.” Alex picked up kettle and walked over to the sink.

“Okay, but you have to promise not to laugh.”

Alex shook his head. “Sorry, but that’s not a promise I can keep.” He began filling the kettle with water.

“Fine.” I sighed. “So, you know that scene in Snow White where she’s in the forest and all the animals are around her?”

Alex looked over at me, his brow furrowed. “Yeah.” He turned off the water and walked over to the stove.

“That’s what I pictured when I put the pumpkin out there.” I looked back out the window. “I thought I’d see birds and squirrels and a few deer surrounding it taking little nibbles.”

Alex nodded his head as he turned on the burner. “That’s what you pictured?”

“I really did!” I took another sip of tea. “I thought that we might even see the fox that’s been around a few times.” I sighed again. “But instead it’s turned into a major feeding fail.”

“Well,” Alex leaned against the counter waiting for the water to boil. “It’s certainly not your first feeding fail.”

“What are you talking about?” I opened the dishwasher to put my cup in.

“What about the peanut butter pine cone a few weeks ago?”

“Oh yeah.” I said as I closed the dishwasher and leaned back against the counter. “I forgot about that.”

“And last summer when you put the suet feeder out and all the fat melted all over the ground?”

“I forgot about that one, too.” I sighed again.

“And what about….”

“Okay! I get it.” I said cutting him off. “Clearly your memory is much better than mine.” I headed to the front hall closet and grabbed my coat. Putting it on I went back in the kitchen and grabbed a garbage bag from the drawer. Shaking it open, I walked over to the back door. “I guess it’s time to admit they don’t want the pumpkin.”

“Sorry it didn’t work out the way you hoped it would.” Alex called after me.

“It’s fine.” I grumbled as I grabbed the container of birdseed that was at the back door. “No more fun treats for you guys!” I called out to the woods. “You’re only getting birdseed from now on!”

FRONT DOOR FIASCO

My son, Alex and I were going to go for a walk when I stopped in the foyer and wondered out loud. “Do you think I’m going to need a coat?”

Alex went to check the outdoor thermometer which was outside the dining room window while I decided it would just be easier to open the front door and step out for a second.

When Alex came back he saw me in the open doorway, swinging my arms above my head.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Checking to see how cold it is.” I’d stopped swinging my arms and was now moving my head from side to side before coming back in the house and closing the door.

“I mean why were you swinging your arms around over your head?” Alex asked before he went into the living room and look out the front window. “Did any of the neighbors see you?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I was swinging my arms because I thought a bug was trying to get in the house but halfway though I thought maybe it wasn’t a bug after all and I was watching one of my floaters moving around in my eye.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess I did look a little strange, huh?”

“A little strange!” Alex looked out the front window again. “If a neighbor was watching, the only thing they saw was a confused woman standing in the doorway swinging her arms around before stepping back inside and closing the door.”

“Well, when you say it that way…” I walked over to the front hall closet and took out a jacket. “At least I found out I could use a jacket for our walk.”

Alex grabbed his coat and put it on before heading to the back door.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“I’m not walking out the front door now.”

“Oh, come on!” I laughed. “No one saw me.”

I headed for the front door.

“You don’t know that.” He reminded me.

“Now you’re just being silly.” I opened the front door and saw our neighbors across the street standing on their front porch looking over at me. I waved and then closed the door and backed away. Putting my hand up to my mouth I looked over at Alex. “Do you think they saw me waving my arms around like a crazy person?”

Alex stood there shaking his head. “Let’s just assume the answer is yes.”

“Great.” I sighed. “Now the neighbors think I’m crazy.”

Alex didn’t say anything.

“Isn’t this where you’re suppose to be telling me that’s not true?” I asked.

Alex didn’t answer me but opened the back door. “You go out first and I’ll meet you at the corner in a few minutes.”

I started to laugh. “Thanks for making me feel better.” I said as I walked by him and swatted his arm with my hand.

“Anytime.” He said as he walked out with me and closed the door behind him. “Besides I’m pretty sure they already know you’re a little strange. I mean we’ve all seen you talking to the birds and chipmunks in the back yard.”

“Hey!” I said laughing as I swatted him again. “That’s not fair!”

“But it’s true.” He reminded me.

I sighed as I looked around the corner of the house to see if the neighbors were still outside. “The coast is clear.” I announced before we started our walk.

MAGIC PURSE

My husband Steven and our son Alex and I were having lunch with some friends at a local restaurant.

As the server handed us our menus I reached in my purse to get my reading glasses. As my hand swept the inside of my bag I felt a small container and pulled it out. I saw that it was an empty container of fish food. Surprised, but not really, I shrugged my shoulders placed it on the table and continued my search for my glasses.

Alex looked over at the container of fish food and leaned over to whisper, “Why do you have fish food in your purse?”

I stopped my search for a moment. “It’s empty.” I said as if this were enough of an explanation.

“Okay.” Alex said. “But why?”

“Because we needed more fish food and I wanted to be sure I got the right brand so I brought the empty container with me when I went to the pet store.”

Alex scooped up the empty container and looked over at our friends to see if they had noticed. “We got him his food three weeks ago.” He whispered before he dropped it back in my purse.

“Hey!” I whispered back, my hand still in my purse. “I’m trying to find my glasses! Quit throwing stuff back in!” I took the fish food container back out but placed it in my lap along with several balled up receipts, my checkbook, and some gift cards. “Oh, come on!” I said under my breath. “They’ve got to be in here.” I pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitizer, looked over at Alex and smiled as I put it on the table. “We’ll be using this in a minute.”

Alex just shook his head as he picked up his menu and leaned closer to me. “Do you want me to read you your choices?”

I stubbornly shook my head. “I know they’re in here.”

Steven looked over at the pile of things in my lap. “What are you doing?” He asked.

“I’m looking for my reading glasses.” I pulled out my sunglasses. “Darn it. I thought I had them this time!” I stuck them in my lap.

“Maybe you should clean that out when you get home.” Steven suggested.

I shook my head. “I like to think that it’s more like Mary Poppins’ carpetbag. I might not be sure what I’m going to find in here but I’m pretty sure I’ll be needing it.” I reached in the side pocket and felt another pair of glasses. “Here they are!” I put them on the table, took everything from my lap and dumped it back in my purse.

“Mary Poppins’ carpetbag.” Steven repeated as he shook his head and laughed.

“I’d watch out if I were you.” I warned. “I just might have my own measuring tape in here.”

“So you’re saying it would measure you at practically perfect in every way?” He asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, that’s a given.” I reminded him as I raised my eyebrows and looked over at him. “I’d be more worried about what it would say about you.” Alex was scanning his menu but shaking his head as he listened to Steven’s and my conversation.

Putting on my readers I picked up my menu and began checking out my choices. “I’m having a hard time deciding. Everything on the menu sound good.” I looked across the table at our friends who had graciously pretended they hadn’t overheard our whole conversation. “Have you decided what you’re going to have?”

CHEF’S KISS

I was walking up our front steps, arms loaded down with bags of groceries when my husband Steven opened the front door.

“Are there more bags in the car?” He asked as he stepped aside to let me walk past him so I could get to the kitchen.

“There sure are!” I said as I struggled to place them on the counter-top. I began unloading the bags, getting the frozen foods into the freezer.

A few moments later Steven came back. “Wow!” He said as he placed the bags on the counter-top. “There’s still more out in the car.”

“It was a pretty big shopping day.” I agreed. “Got a lot of the Thanksgiving stuff.”

“Really?” Steven peeked in one of the bags. “But that’s not until next week.” He said as he headed back out to the car for more bags.

I just shook my head as I pulled some canned goods from the bags and put them in the pantry. “I don’t think he has any idea how much planning goes into Thanksgiving.” I said under my breath as Steven came back in with more bags.

“Did you say something?” He asked as he looked around the counter-top looking for someplace to put the bags.

I quickly cleared my voice as I shook my head. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Okay. Well, this is all of them.” When he didn’t see any room on the counter-top, he placed them on the floor. He bent down and pulled out the milk and cold cuts from one of the bags. “Did you get everything you need for Thanksgiving?” He asked as he headed to the refrigerator.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Nope. This is just the beginning.” I went back into a bag and pulled out bags of dried stuffing mix. “I don’t buy the sausage, apples, mushrooms or onions that go into my stuffing until a few days before Thanksgiving.” I tossed the stuffing bags into the pantry.

“I guess that’s a good idea.” Steven said as he put a box of crackers away.

“Thanks.” I couldn’t help but smile. “I know I’ve been making Thanksgiving dinner for years but I have to admit I’m always a little worried I’ll mess something up.”

“Really?” Steven looked surprised. “When have you ever messed up a Thanksgiving?”

I had to shutter. “Don’t you remember the year I pulled the turkey out of the oven too soon and it was still a little pink?”

Steven looked confused. “I don’t remember that at all.”

I sighed. “Well, that’s good. But it still happened.”

“You worry too much.” Steven said as he walked over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Thanksgiving is going to be amazing.”

“I hope so.” I folded up the empty bag and starting unloading the next one.

“Instead of thinking about a dinner that’s going to happen next week let’s talk about what we’re going to have for dinner tonight.”

“Oh no!” I peeked in the bag. “I was so busy thinking about the Thanksgiving list that I completely forgot about getting something for dinner tonight!”

“Really?” Steven looked concerned.

“No.” I looked over and smiled at him as I pulled a package of chicken from the bag. Placing it on the counter I walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “But now who’s the one who worries too much?” I asked.

ALWAYS THE WRONG LINE

My son Alex and I had stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things which of course turned into a half filled cart instead.

As we headed to the checkout lines I began scanning for potential problems. “Okay, not this one.” I whispered. “The check out person has an ‘in training’ badge on.” I shook my head. “I’m all for giving people time to learn their job but not today and not with me.”

We moved to the next lane.

“Nope, not this one either.” I decided.

“What’s wrong with this one?” Alex asked as he looked at the people in the line.

“Didn’t you see the senior bus out front?” I shook my head again. “Well, here’s four of them checking out together.” I pushed the cart further down. “This is a big outing for them. They’ll be visiting with the cashier like there’s not one waiting behind them.”

Alex was shaking his head and laughing. “Why don’t we do the self checkout then?”

I looked in the cart and quickly counted. “Too many items.” I stated.

“Well, what if I took half the cart and you took the other half? We split up and both go through the self check out.”

I thought about that for a moment but when I turned around and saw the line waiting for a self checkout machine to be available I shook my head. “Still not fast enough.” I decided.

I finally saw a lane where there were only two people waiting. Both of their carts were only half filled like ours. “This is the one!” I said with confidence as I got on line.

As the first cart was checking out the person right in front of us turned and looked at me. “Excuse me.” She said.

I’d been busy looking through the bin of books next to me when Alex nudged me.

I looked up.

“I’m sorry but I forgot something. Do you mind watching my cart while I run and grab it?”

Now in my head I was saying ‘Nope. Take your cart and finish your shopping just like all the rest of us did.’ But instead I smiled and said, “Sure.”

“Thanks.” She said scurrying away.

I looked over at Alex. “How does this always happen to me? I always seem to pick the wrong line!”

Alex laughed as he shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, I thought you were going to tell her no.”

“I actually thought about it for a second.” I admitted.

He patted me on the shoulder. “Well then I’m very proud of you holding back your real thoughts.”

“I’m trying.” I said with a sigh as I looked over to where she’d headed seeing if she’d be returning soon.

I could see the woman in the front of our line was almost done filling her bags and was ready to pay.

I looked at the abandoned cart in front of me and looked at Alex.

“No.” He said as he shook his head. “You can’t move her cart and get in front of her.”

“But…” I looked around and still couldn’t see her coming.

“Nope.” He was still shaking his head.

I sighed as I leaned against the cart. “Why is it I always pick the wrong line?” I complained.

Alex patted me on the shoulder again and laughed. “It seems to be your super power.”

HOMEMADE BIRD FEEDER

I was in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher while my son Alex was standing next to me spreading peanut butter on some crackers.

“We literally just finished dinner.” I said as I opened the cabinet to put the clean glasses away. “I can’t believe you’re still hungry!”

“I’m not hungry for more pot roast. I’m hungry for some peanut butter crackers now.” He laughed as he licked the knife before tossing it in the sink. He stopped for a moment. “This peanut butter tastes burnt.” He said as he looked down at the crackers sitting on a paper towel.

“Didn’t you just open the jar?” I looked over at the jar of natural peanut butter that was sitting on the counter-top.

Alex nodded as he balled up the paper towel, with the crackers in the middle, and headed for the garbage. “It happens sometimes with the natural peanut butter.” He sighed as he tossed the paper towel in the trash. “Well, that was a waste.”

“Don’t throw it away!” I grabbed the lid and screwed it back on the jar before putting it aside. “I’ll feed it to the birds.”

Alex looked confused. “How are you going to do that?”

“Easy.” I said as I grabbed a handful of silverware and headed for the drawer. “I’ll spread it on a pine cone and hang it up in a tree.”

“They’ll eat burnt peanut butter?” He asked as he went over to the cabinet to find another snack.

“They’ll love it!” I said with complete confidence.

When I was finished with the dishes I found a pine cone and began spreading it with the peanut butter. Tying a string around the top I took it outside and hung it from a tree branch. Standing back, hands on my hips I watched it swaying in the breeze. “Well, you look terrible but they’re going to love it.”

A week later I was looking out the window at our back yard when Alex came up beside me.

“What are you looking at?” He asked.

“The birds haven’t touched the peanut butter bird feeder.” I looked over at him. “I was absolutely positive they would love it.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe they would have if it had regular peanut butter and not that burnt stuff.”

“It wasn’t that burnt.” I argued.

“Really?” Alex pointed out in the yard. “You weren’t the one who tasted it.”

“Well, I’m not tasting it now!” I laughed. “It’s been swinging from a tree for a week!”

Alex shrugged his shoulders again. “Maybe you’ll trust me the next time I say somethings bad.”

“You always think something tastes bad.” I reminded him.

He pointed out to the back yard again. “Looks like I was right about the peanut butter.”

I went to the drawer and took out a pair of scissors. “I guess it’s time to cut it down.” I sighed as I headed to the back door.

“Why don’t you leave it on the ground to see if the chipmunks won’t eat it either?” Alex suggested.

“Nope.” I held up the scissors. “It’s going in the garbage now.”

“Exactly where it should have gone a week ago!” Alex laughed.