Blessed

On Sunday afternoon, the family met at my parents' house for a birthday party. Even though several of us had barely had time to make room in our stomachs for more food after that State Fair experience, we had ribs and potatoes and green beans and corn-on-the-cob and a bunch of other stuff, including chocolate pudding cake, chocolate chip cookies, a peach galette (which I had made that morning, refining my technique from the first time I made it) and a candy bar pie.

After lunch, the birthday presents were passed around, and I was surprised when my mother stuck a card in my hand. It wasn't my birthday; it was my brother's. I just figured it was one of my mother's nice things; she's very good about writing us all nice little letters every now and then telling us why she and Poppy love us, so I prepared to dab at my eyes with a paper napkin.

Instead, I opened one of those thinking-of-you type cards that had a strange, official-looking document inside it. It looked slightly familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I took it out and unfolded it, and after a moment of squinting and hem-hawing, I realized I was looking at the title to a car.

My mom and dad have given Buddy, their Chevy Blazer, to us, him with his new transmission. I was so surprised that I sat there, my mouth hanging open unattractively. I looked at my mother, who was sitting next to me, a huge grin on her face.

Needless to say, there was a LOT of hugging and exclaiming going on for about the next ten minutes.

WE HAVE TWO CARS AGAIN!!!!!