Farm update: We had our first pickup from the CSA farm this week. Let's see -- we got baby spinach, baby bok choy, baby kale, baby turnips, a few fresh herbs, lettuce, fresh strawberries, and a handful of flowers. I've cooked three meals (with a few supplements -- an avocado, some mushrooms, tofu, onions, and ginger), all yummy, and we still have lettuce and herbs left. The flowers are still on the table, miraculously, given that the cats still haven't learned that the table is a No-fly zone. This was apparently a very light week, so it's hard to imagine how we'll use up all the produce each week when growing really get underway. Let's hope that the farmer skipped right over the zucchini page in the seed catalog.
Work (past): Through a networking web site, I ended up communicating with someone from a past job. I didn't know him well, but he remembers me and told me how incredibly useful work that I did continues to be. Apparently, management saw fit to dispose of that work (a complicated manual describing how to upgrade a set of persnickety products that didn't work together all that well) but technical people still needed it. He was very sweet in his praise. It made me realize the kinds of effects we have on people all the time without even realizing it. It's nice to be appreciated.
Work (present, silliness): In an effort to tease our office manager, someone came into my office this week to solicit ideas for kitchen suggestions. There were loads of people in my shared office at the time, including my boss. We came up with some great ideas -- an espresso machine, homemade chocolate chip cookies, a bread machine, a fondue set. (And you have to understand that our kitchen, which is shared by perhaps 100 people every day, is minuscule.) We laughed ourselves silly. I didn't get yelled at (yeah!) by my boss who was busy laughing harder than anyone else. A nice reminder that you can have fun -- publicly -- at work and *still get work done* -- gasp!!!!
Family: While catching up on some correspondance this morning, I got a call from my mother-in-law. My father-in-law was out of the house and she was calling to ask that Robert call his father on Sunday, Father's Day. (To her credit, she called Robert's line, not mine, so it wasn't like she was expecting me to pass on the message, but I will.)
Apparently, not one child had called him on his birthday, and while my F-i-L was stoic about it, she said she was near tears (hurting for two?). I'm sorry I didn't know that a call was so important. I make sure that Robert always sends a card (and picks it out and writes the message himself) because I thought *that* was important. And he agonizes almost as much as I do over the choice -- I'm sure people have no idea. I had no way of guessing that in Robert's family, a phone call was even more crucial. So we'll make sure that phone calls happen from now on, on birthdays and Mother's and Father's days. I'm glad she told me, rather than stewing about it and getting even more upset. Oh dear.
This reminds me that when I was married the first time around, my husband forgot his mother's birthday one year until the actual day or maybe the day after. He promptly ordered a huge bouquet of flowers and we got a very tearful phone call from his mother (My birthday was very nice. My darling sister called. My darling daughters called. My darling husband took me out for a very nice dinner. I sat by the phone all day and all evening, but my darling son never called.) We then got a *scathing* letter from his father (You can neglect to send me a birthday card. But if you ever forget your mother's birthday or our anniversary again... some dreadful punishment or other.) So that's why I make sure that Robert acknowledges his parents' birthdays and I acknowledge my parents'.
It's so hard pleasing people -- you try to guess and do the best you can. But if you don't guess right, sometimes you end up causing tremendous unintended hurt. So I'm grateful that Robert's mother could articulate what would be less hurtful and we'll pick up and try to do better next time.
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Once, many years ago now, I called my mother to chat. We had a very nice conversation, and then she started asking if I had called for any particular reason. No, I replied.
"So then you've forgotten my birthday?"
We still laugh about it, and I still can't remember her birthdate (dates are so terribly abstract). I've been known to call or send cards to she (June something) and my sister (September something) that are weeks too early.
Luckily, I have a family that does laugh about such things!
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