THE GROANING BOARD

The Boy is graduated, which makes me think, each time I hear the word, of graduated beakers from high school chemistry class. And not only graduated, he is home. So too is his maternal grandmother. And his Philosophy guru, a frequently ungruntled professor from Connecticut here for a visit.
So today, at the grocery store, as the cashier rang up the sixteen artichokes, and the 14 ears of corn, the woman ahead of me, gathering her purchases-- a bottle of wine and some sort of smoked sausage and a box of crackers-- asked me what all that was for... I assured here that there was nothing odd or amiss, just that we were a large family-- I think I used the word enormous, in fact.
But in truth, we're not that enormous-- just six, and a couple of visiting relations. Eight people hardly makes a throng, but it's true that at meal time the cooking is not the same as it would be for a single person or a couple....
Tomorrow we have the artichokes and the corn-- and grilled chicken too. Is it summer? At least at dinner time Friday it will be.

FLASHBACK: THE GRADUATE- JANUARY 2007

Ah, to be young and taking a trip, a fairly long, fairly slow trip, riding an ancient, decrepit Soviet motorcycle from Hanoi to Saigon in January-- what could possibly be better than that? Well, doing it for school credit. That was icing on the cake.
Brunhilda, that was the name of the machine from Minsk, didn't let the boyo down too often, and when she did, she was fairly quickly cajoled back into a semblance of functionality, which was about all she could muster, even at the top of her game.
The boy made it safely back, which is what we cared most about, and said he had a great time, which may be what he cared most about, so we were all happy with the result. Oh, and he did get credit, so I guess his professor was happy as well.

G-DAY

May 25th, 2008. That's when Number One Son, he of the red hair, the Moxie Master, the Great Outdoorsboy, that's when he graduates from college, a great achievement for him, and a disorienting one for his Da. After all, how can a boyo only six years old be graduating from college? It just doesn't compute. But wow, what a thing!