Happy FAMILY

Hello, Friend!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mamas.  May you have a relaxing day, filled with the pampering you so richly deserve.  I have a 10:40am tee time, but I'm sure the boys have something nice planned for Lori - just kidding!  We are taking good care of her today.

This week went especially fast.  On Monday I reclaimed our younger son from college in Cleveland.  He's such a dedicated student.  His last exam was Monday morning, and I reclaimed him early afternoon.  He was a limp noodle by the time we got home.  To celebrate his return, we made one of his favorite meals Saturday night - cheesy potato soup with crusty bread.  Carbopalooza.

We were able to re-absorb the contents of his dorm room without too much difficulty.  It took me a couple of days to re-adjust my brain when it comes to meal planning.  Adding a fourth person's preferences back into the mix does create more complexity.  I'm back on my "A" game now, though.

The abundant rain and sunshine have prompted both the lawn and the silver maples to explode.  So many little whirlybird seeds to clear off of the driveway, roof and gutters.  And I'm mowing the grass about every five days, weather permitting.  

We're going to savor this summer with everyone home.  It might be the last one for a long time, possible ever.  Both boys return to campus this Fall (our oldest is going off to grad school), so who knows?  We're not rooting for empty nester status to come any faster than it's going to come.  It's impossible not to recognize that this is where we are in life, though.  Our little birdies are going to fly away at some point.  If this isn't the last summer as a nuclear family, that change is probably not too much farther away.  Time marches on.

THANKS to everyone who visited my new site, www.nealbell.com last week - and to those who signed up for notices when I publish new blog posts.  If you haven't checked it out, yet, please do.  I post all of the Maamos Kitchen newsletters there, as well as longer-form essays on a broader range of topics.  I'm working on my second longer-form essay, which should be published by the end of the month.  Feel free to share this site with anyone you think might be interested.

Sunday Supper
Sticking with the Happy Family theme, let's cook the Chinese stir-fry classic of the same name for Sunday Supper this week.  This Mango Sticky Rice would be a great finish to the meal.

Sunday Music
For your listening pleasure, this week I share with you a recent live performance by the Seattle Indie Folk band, Fleet Foxes in Boston Harbor.

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Neal