I have reached a new stage of old age – vegetating. Family members have somewhat resisted my serving fruits rather than vegetables. Some of them, like John before them, need a vegetable to make a meal complete. I certainly grew up that way, since we called my dad the Mad Farmer. My parents were FORCED to eat tons of vegetables, because he loved having a prolific garden with no fruit in sight. Mother never complained about canning and later freezing the things he grew. She was a miser, having gone through the depression with her brother and widowed mother. Mom’s mother told me that once she had only potatoes to feed her children, and she cried that night.

Today I began to feel hungry. As I walked toward the kitchen, I decided to have cauliflower with white sauce before considering what protein would follow. This is probably the very first time that any vegetable called my name and made me listen. I made the white sauce while the frozen cauliflower cooked in the microwave. Since I wasn’t cooking anything else at the time, it came together perfectly. There was just the right amount of salt and pepper, two things I didn’t use when John was eating with me. The food was piping hot when I set the dish on the table, and was still warm as I finished. Nothing could have been more perfect for me. With cooler weather on the horizon, I’ll try to hear the broccoli, beans, and peas when they call.