The first picnic lunch that I remember sharing with my yet-to-be SO was on a river bank that meandered its way through our college campus. The spring day was idyllic and we were young and in love. Our cuisine consisted of a canned ham, a large chunk of cheese, a loaf of sourdough bread, and a bottle of Boone's Farm. (Editorial Note: Boone's Farm was the student community's vintner-of-choice during our college years due to the cost, probably around a $1.00 a bottle and the taste, which resembled a fruity, carbonated beverage.) The setting was perfect for a riverside assignation.
Over the years we've had other memorable picnic lunches, such as the home-fried chicken, biscuits, potato salad and cookies lunch on the Camp Pendleton Marine Base; peanut butter and jelly on sourdough bread overlooking San Francisco Bay's Golden Gate Bridge. Some of these lunches were just for the two of us, other lunches were shared with friends, our children (also friends), and even our dog, Max, although he and I just shared ice cream cones when I thought no one was looking.
Segue to present day, as my SO and I have just concluded our yearly contract renewal discussion, otherwise known to others as our anniversary. For thirty eight years now, we've had an annual conversation regarding whether or not to renew our marital contract for another year. It's always been love that has kept us together and, now, another layer of marital glue is present as we cannot agree who would get the cat if we decided to end our contract. Long live Frances!
Here is where I bring my posting back to full circle with the picnic lunch topic.
We decided to observe the day with a picnic lunch......or at least that was the thought.......but once we realized that is was easier to eat plain, non-fat yogurt with cranberries and almonds in a bowl at home, the picnic lunch idea was shelved. Instead we've resurrected our memories about picnic lunches of yore, when the food choices were endless and our waistlines were not. The only thing that seems to shrink as age-years collect are one's arteries - hence the plain, non-fat yogurt, to which I privately say "yuck"!
Today's blog posting is dedicated to all readers who can still eat whatever they desire, to young lovers who are getting older and to felines everywhere.
Ancora imparo
