Aunt Winnie is in town visiting her kids and, for the second year in a row, joined my mom, sisters and I for my birthday dinner. Last year, we dined at Chili’s. This year, Applebee’s. Only the best for us. “I really like this little birthday celebration. I think I’ll come back next year too,” Aunt Winnie told us. She then handed me a paper grocery bag and said, “Thanks for leaving that thank you note in my refrigerator. This isn’t a thank you note, but I think you’ll like it.” In the bag were two 5-pound packages of sugar. “Last year you said you wanted food storage,” she advised me and giggled.
I actually don’t recall asking for food storage, but it sounds like something I would say. Not because it is something I want, per say, but because it is something I don’t have. “I love this,” I told Aunt Winnie. “Hopefully I’ll get some canned corn too.” My sister then handed me a ‘green’ shopping bag and said, “You just might.” I opened this bag to find two packages of instant noodles, a can of beans, cream of chicken, diced tomatoes and SpaghettiOs. Turns out she was teasing me about the corn.
That’s alright. The other day, I teased Opreggano with a pregnant cob of corn I bought at the store. I thought it looked pregnant because it had a little wee corn growing on it’s side. Opreggano saw something different, “Isn’t it the year of the rabbit?” she asked as I shucked it in between my legs. “Yes, it is. Good point,” I replied.
“Thank you for the food storage. I hope my shelf life is longer than theirs,” I told them. “Not me,” Aunt Winnie piped in. “We bought plots today. I’m ready to go. I really do not want to live to be 100.” “Well, you probably have a few more years. You are fresh and easy,” I told her. “Your mom is easy too,” she told me and added, “She also had seven kids.”
Although Aunt Winnie and my mom may be well beyond their ‘use by’ dates, like a product with an expired shelf life, they might be safe but their quality is not guaranteed. Luckily for all of us, shelf life is maximized by stock rotation. I best grab my ‘sugar’ and start rotating.