EM's tea outing with Papa!

Once upon a time ... (this is a short story told in photographs) ... there was a little girl named EM ....

This is EM, the heroine of our story ...
... who would like to state for the record,
 that her Papa is mistaken about her being 'little,'
as she's rather tall for her age.

who wanted to go for high tea with her Papa ...

Note Papa's new threads, lookin' fine I might add ...
(EM's comment: "Papa, you need a haircut.")

so she did her research and made reservations to go to the Pink Bicycle in Occoquon, VA ...

We really should buy shares at this place ...

The principals of this story, Papa and EM, were ushered right in, the first customers of the day, and were asked if they had reservations. Papa informed Jan, the server who greeted them that, yes, there were reservations, and it was EM who made them. Jan remembered the phone conversation and warmed up to little EM right then and there. And why should not Jan warm up to EM? For, after all, EM is the heroine of this story!

They were seated at a rather grand, high table. Too high! So they chose, instead, a comfy little table in the cosy, and very pink, tea room.

"Papa, I get the smoky ham sandwiches!" ... I'm told they're quite good.

After much deliberation, EM chose the "Lady Belle Tea," which was the Princess tea to the far-too-grande "Queen tea," and were served Earl Grey (Papa's staple) and White Cherry tea (EM trying, and liking, something new). Then came orange marmalade scones with clotted cream and strawberry and raspberry jam, and then finger sandwiches on a platter along with several varieties of pound cake. A very satisfying tea where our getting to know each other better conversations were those of EM pointing out the paintings, souvenirs and other people's conversations, and of Papa agreeing with her.

"Papa, do you always say 'yes' to everything I say?" asked a bemused and amused EM.
Papa's answer was a "Yes," with barely the slightest hint of self-aware irony.

EM enjoying a quiet moment at her new home she just bought,
with her inheritance after the surprise discovery that she was
the Marquise d'Aquitaine and related to Eleanor Dashwood.
Papa, reasonably: "But I thought Eleanor Dashwood was a fictional character..."
EM, impatiently, ignoring his obtuse observation: "Papa, you nee a haircut!"
Papa, smirking: "Yes."

After the tea, they lived happily ever after as EM swept off in her horse-drawn carriage driven by her ever-trustworthy driver (EM: "Papa! Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road!" Papa: "Yes"), and her Papa, much afterward, made a beef stroganoff dinner from scratch for the whole family.

But that is another story.

The End.

Just a little thing

So, ...

Well, called Mom, and she sounded ... wonderful. From her latest email, she has been super-busy, but I was so glad that she could talk, and I heard the smile in her voice and her laugh, and that was such a relief to hear.

So, we, that is, my cara spoza, myself and my little girls, went to Five Guys for lunch, and had lunch. And, after eating, I noticed just a little thing. Three 'tween or teen girls where enqueued; girlfriends, obviously. A blond, a brunette, and a I-don't-know-what, because the middle, olive-skinned, girl is Muslim, as she was wearing the حجاب (hijab), or head-scarf.

And they were chatting away, as easy as you please. Just friends, you know? Just friends. Not a Muslim and two 'Infidels': just friends. Three American girls, one of them who just happened to be Muslim.

Now, I'm not going to go into the screed of what people should or shouldn't be in their adoration of God (or their beliefs concerning the presence or absence of 'Big Juju'), but I am going to say this.

Seeing that, three friends at ease with each other, where things this last decade has been more strained between the Worlds of Believers (and Nonbelievers)?

Well, do you remember when Christians and Jews couldn't talk? And I'm not talking about the Exodus/Expulsion from Spain in 1492, I'm not even talking about the Pogroms and the Holocaust (השואה), I'm talking here, just decades ago. Driving Miss Daisy, anyone? And now we can, and it's not a big deal ... it is, for we are different, but we can talk and we can listen to and with each other, גוים (goyim) and Jews alike.

Those three girlfriends? Seeing them, smiling and laughing and easy?

They give me hope for the future.

Rules for Pancake Breakfasts

Rule#1 of protein powder enhanced pancake batter: cook it all; do NOT store in the ref for the next day (ewww! green!)

Rule#2 of protein powder enhanced pancake batter: when it calls for buttermilk, use BUTTERMILK, not just plain old 2% milk! (ewww! flat!)

Rule#3 of protein powder enhanced pancake batter: DON'T make rules while cooking (ewww! burnt!)

Rule#4 of protein powder enhanced pancake batter: Don't recook the sausage-i ("Papa! The cooked ones are too peppery!")