Lunch Break

I 'invited' myself and the kids to my in laws for lunch yesterday. I was planning to visit them the day before but it started to rain and I dont have an umbrella -- going home wet is better than visiting wet, I would say.

By inviting myself and the kids, we also have the option to choose the menu for lunch, arent we spoiled? We specifically asked for oma's famous 'noodle mit tomatensauce' commonly known as spaghetti.

Now in oma's kitchen. She cooks the sauce using her own recipe, which nobody in the family can duplicate. Oh, we tried, but oma's is still better. She uses whatever noodle is available though we prefer spaghetti or sometimes fettuccini. And she tops this with home made 'croutons'; chopped and fried toast bread. Yum!

While having lunch, my bro in law came, ready to pick blackberries on opa's garden which reaches out to the thick woods. He got loads of them, too. But I cannot look while he climbs here and there, I dont trust the old ladder he's using!

After lunch, the kids located oma's treasure chest of toys, toys that used to my husband's. They comfortably found a corner in the living room to play; while I helped oma to wash the dishes. As for opa, he excused himself saying he would be working in the garden.

After the dishes, I decided to look for opa. And you know where I found him, on top of the garage. Clearing the wild bush on the side of the garage and raking leaves. I dont need to tell you how shocked I was because he used the same old rickety ladder! I told oma I dont want to look, so I went back inside. He is 86 years old and he'd like to think he can still move around like a 40 year old. My heart! Oma said she also cannot take it when he goes around like a young buck, but who can stop him? The stubborness of the old. Nothing untoward happened, thank God. But what about in the next days? I dont know... It worries me. I told my husband and he just shrugged. He also knows how stubborn opa is. If I may say, he is the same :-)

Now for oma. The kids wanted to eat slices of bread with margarine. I left them in the kitchen with her. Came MC saying, 'mama, oma's plates are broken.' I told her not to touch it then. They wanted to eat in the garden, so holding a plate each, they went. Then MC shrieked when she saw IC's plate and screamed 'dont touch that plate. It's dangerous for you.' I looked and saw that the plate is chipped. Aha, so this is the broken plate.

That chipped plate is a bone of contention. I mentioned it to oma more than a few times already. She should get rid of it. She refused, saying that it is a part of a set. As if she doesnt have enough plate sets! Of course, I told my husband who replied, 'next time, throw it away.' I shook my head, throwing it wont be the answer. She might discover it in the garbage and start a fight with opa. We devised a better way-- the next time that I visit them, I would sneak the plate out. Hide it in my bag and discard of it. What should be easy is not, right?

And then the kids wanted to go home. MC is ready to walk home. IC, as expected, is too lazy and too tired to move along. She went to opa and begged with her big eyes and such pleading expression, 'opa, fährst du uns nach Hause?' (can you drive us home?).

Opa immediately shook his head and vehemently uttered, 'you can walk, dont be too lazy'. Then IC repeated her question again, this time, with a bit of tears. The tears did it; opa urgently reconsidered. Grandpa's weakness -- little girls's tears! Isnt it sweet. Oma just had to laugh!

But before driving us home, we got a basket of yellow plums and some unnamed fruits. I love my in laws :-)