PERFECT HARD BOILED EGG

“What do you feel like having for lunch?” I asked my son Alex as he sat on the couch reading a magazine.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Doesn't matter to me. Whatever you want.”

I leaned against the door frame and thought about it for a moment. “How about egg salad sandwiches?”

Alex looked up from his magazine. “Sure, that sounds great.”

“Perfect.” I smiled at him. “Could you make a half dozen hard boiled eggs for me?”

“Sure.” He put his magazine down. “I can do that.” He got up and walked past me into the kitchen.

I followed him and leaned against the counter as he took the eggs out of the refrigerator. “You know you make a better hard boiled egg than I do.” I felt I needed to explain.

Alex just nodded as he took out a pot and put the eggs into it.

“When I make them I can never get them to peel without taking half the egg with it.” I sighed.

Alex reached into the cabinet and pulled down a bowl. “That's because you skip the ice water part.”

“I use the same pot the eggs boiled in, dump the boiling water out, and add cold water.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Same thing.”

Alex shook his head. “No it's not. The pot's still hot and cold water isn't the same as ice water.”

I sighed. “Yeah, but...”

Alex started to laugh as he went over to the sink and filled the pot with water. “You just don't feel like making hard boiled eggs right now. I get it.”

I sighed again. “It's just that I have four more loads of wash to do and I still have to get set up for work next week.”

Alex set the pot on the stove and turned it on. “Don't worry about it. I've got this.”

“Thank you.” I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You're the best.”

My husband Steven walked into the kitchen. “What is he the best at?” he asked.

“Making us lunch!” I quickly answered.

Alex looked at me. “I thought I was just making the hard boiled eggs?”

I just smiled at him.

“You could have just asked me to make lunch. I really wouldn't have minded.” He laughed and shook his head.

“I swear, it really did start out with you being better at making hard boiled eggs.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Than it just sort of evolved into you making lunch.”

Alex took out another bowl to make the egg salad in. “What kind of bread do you want?”

“I'll have mine on a toasted English muffin with a slice of yellow American, please!”

“That sounds good, but skip the cheese on mine and I'll have a slice of tomato instead.” Steven added.

Alex went to the cabinet to get the package of English muffins.

“You're the best!” I called as I headed to the laundry room to put another load in the washer while I thought of other chores I could delegate to someone else this weekend.

NEWSPAPER

I was sitting on the back deck reading the newspaper when my son Alex came out to sit. “Morning!” I said as I tried to turn the page and refold the newspaper. The wind wasn't making it easy as I struggled to make the fold.

“You know, you could just read the paper online and not have to fight the wind to see what's happening in the world.” Alex said as a section, I'd just finished reading, began blowing across the deck.

“Nope! Never going to happen!” I said as I put my foot over the escaping newspaper before it got too far away. “I love everything about a newspaper. I love walking to the end of the driveway to scoop it up. I love bringing it in and sorting through the sections I'm going to read as my tea water comes to a boil. I love folding it in easy to hold sections.” I held my hand up to show him my fingers. “I even like the newsprint that comes off on my hands!”

Alex laughed as he shook his head.

I picked up my cup of tea and took a sip. “Oh, this is a fun story.” I made another fold in the paper before I began to read. “A couple in New Jersey just made the Guinness world record for a cornstalk they grew that had 29 cobs on it!” I looked over at Alex. “That's pretty impressive.”

Alex looked alarmed. “What kind of toxic waste spill did they plant that in?”

He had caught me off guard with that question. “What's that suppose to mean?”

“Come on, that's a pretty weird mutation.” Alex just shook his head. “I know I wouldn't eat it.”

I looked back at the article. “They're not eating it either. It says they're going to put it on display.”

Before Alex could answer we both heard the house phone ring. I looked over at him. “Could you run in and answer that for me?”

“Sure.” he got up from his chair. “But you know it's only going to be a telemarketer.”

“Maybe not.” The wind had picked up and I was struggling to keep my newspaper from becoming a kite.

After answering the phone Alex came back out. “I was right, telemarketer.” He sat back down. “Why do we even have a land line anymore? We only use our cellphone.” He looked over at me struggling with my newspaper. “Land lines, newspapers? What century do we live it?” he started to laugh.

That's when my husband Steven came outside. “What's so funny?”

Alex pointed at me. “Mom, trying to keep her newspaper from blowing away.”

Steven looked over at me. “That reminds me. Could you save the paper for me? I thought we could have a fire in the fire pit tonight.”

“Sure I can.” I looked over at Alex and smiled. “It's just one of the many uses a newspaper has to offer.”

CRICKETS AND KATYDIDS

I was in the kitchen, finishing up with the after-dinner dishes, when my husband Steven and son Alex came through, headed for the back deck.

“It's a beautiful night out.” Steven said as he opened the back door. “You want to come out and sit with us for awhile?”

“Sure.” I picked up the pot I'd just washed and began to dry it. “Just let me put this away and I'll be right out.”

A few moments later I looked out the kitchen window and saw both my guys watching one of our hummingbirds at its feeder. I had to smile knowing that as soon as I got outside one of them would sadly say I'd just missed his visit.

I made one more quick scan of the room, making sure everything was done before I opened the back door.

“You just missed the hummingbird.” Alex said pointing to the feeder.

I smiled. “I was lucky! I saw him out the window when I was checking on the two of you.” I sat down in my rocking chair but after a few minutes I began to shiver. “It's cold out here.” I gave my arms a quick rub. “I'm going inside to grab a sweatshirt.”

I came back out appropriately bundled up. “That's better.” I sat back down again.

We sat quietly listening to the sounds of our back yard. The chirp and squeak of the hummingbirds as they let us know they were coming in for a drink. The blue jays squawking, alerting the other birds that a cooper hawk was close by. The sound of the squirrels as their little claws dug into the bark of the trees as they chased each other around. But, the most significant sound I'd been enjoying all summer long, the deafening song of the cicada, was completely silent. “No more cicadas.” I sighed.

“Nope, now it's the cricket's and katydid's turn.” Alex said.

“I know.” I sighed. “But cicadas mean summer and crickets and katydids mean fall.”

“It's not officially fall for another week.” Alex reminded me.

“I know but the evenings are getting chilly.” I sighed.

“It's going up in the high 70's next week.” Steven said.

“I know but...”

“Oh come on!” Alex cried. “It's still summer!”

I pulled my hands up in the sleeves of my sweatshirt to keep them warm. “I'm cold.” I pouted.

Alex and Steven groaned in unison.

It was then, in the distance, I could hear a cicada begin it's long shrill song. I sat up and smiled. “They're still out there!”

“One lone one left.” Steven said.

“Maybe not.” I countered waiting to hear someone answer the call.

A few minutes later Steven looked over at me. “I think that cicada might be a little late to the party.”

I sighed as I sat back in my chair. “I guess it's the crickets and katydids time to party.”

Alex leaned closer to me. “It's still summer for a few more days.”

BETTA BUBBA

I was washing a ping pong ball in the sink when my husband Steven came into the kitchen.

“What's that for?” he asked looking at the ball as I grabbed a paper towel and began drying it.

“It's a toy for Bubba.” I looked over at the fish tank where our beautiful blue betta fish was

looking over at us. “See!” I held up the ping pong ball for Bubba to see. “He's excited about his new toy!”

Steven shook his head. “What's a fish going to do with a ping pong ball?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I have no idea but when I looked up 'things to give your betta fish' this came up.” I lifted the lid of the tank and dropped the ball in. Bubba scurried down to the bottom of the tank looking up at the bobbing white ball that was floating at the top of his tank. I gently put the lid back on and leaned over to see what he would do next.

Steven grabbed a nectarine and gave it a quick rinse before he leaned against the sink and took a bite. “He seems thrilled.”

We both watched Bubba lay at the bottom of his tank.

“Give him some time.” I said as I stood back up. “Remember how long it took him to go though his pineapple house?”

“About a week.” our son Alex said as he walked in the kitchen. He look in the tank. “He doesn't look too happy right now.”

“Wait, why are you giving him a new toy now? Doesn't Bubba go back to school this week?” Steven asked as he took another bite of his nectarine.

I worked in a school and got the betta as a classroom pet. When summer vacation started I brought him home.

“Well...” I looked over at Alex hoping he'd help me in this discussion but when he just shrugged his shoulders I could see I was on my own. “He's a really great fish.” I started.

Steven looked to Alex then back to me. “You said he'd only be on the kitchen counter for the summer.” He reached over and opened the garbage bin, dropped the pit in, and was ready to close it when I stopped him.

“Don't close it too hard it scares Bubba!” I cried.

“He's a fish!” Steven sighed but gently closed the bin.

“He's our pet now.” I nodded over at Alex. “You and Alex are allergic to cats and dogs so now I can finally have a family pet.” I leaned down to look in the tank again. “Isn't that right, Bubba?”

Alex finally decided to add to the conversation. “He's actually kind of fun to watch.”

“He watches me when I'm at the sink!” I turned to look at Steven. “If you take a tissue from the box,” I pointed to the box of tissues next to the tank. “he gets really excited! Swimming back and forth really fast.” I looked over at Alex. “Isn't he hysterical when you hold up his food container?”

Alex shrugged “He does get pretty excited when he sees his food.”

Steven looked at both of us. “Yeah I see what you mean.” He looked back at Bubba who was still laying on the bottom of the tank. “I could look at that all day and never get bored.”