Pizza night last night. I love pizza. I can’t think of any other food that is as enjoyable on a tight budget and is as quick to prepare. There’s just something right about mixing cheese with bread and tomato paste. Last night it was Tuscany cheese with pepperoni and onions for me. The wife and grandkids ate just a plain old cheese pizza. Kathy had called Joy and asked if they wanted to go in together with us since we could get a 2nd pizza for .25. Tony had to work late so Joy was happy to join us. Chase and I ate ours quickly and greedily while Taylor picked over one piece like it was worms and dirt. How that child survives I’ll never know. Hunter (who is almost 2) ate his with gusto too, although he also entertained himself with his ranch dressing and loved squeezing it through his fingers. We have all learned to eat our pizza with Ranch dressing after my wife started using it.

I spent a few more minutes just playing with the kids and helping Chase on the computer. I had to get back to the house and get my musical gear packed for practice today so I couldn’t spend long hanging around. Hunter did not like it when I had to say goodbye. It’s like I’m leaving forever when I pull myself away from his grasp. So, Mawmaw picked him up and said that he could way ‘bye’ to me from the front porch and he was soothed. He waved while I backed out of the driveway and headed up the road. I thought “man, what would it be like if everyone viewed your departure in such a manner? It would be great for a person’s self-esteem to have someone fuss over them like that all the time”. I put that as a note in the back of my mind and will try it sometime soon on someone as an experiment. Of course, I won’t cry and slobber, but I think there may be a way to let someone know how much they mean to you be fussing over their departure a little more. It certainly makes me feel good as a Pawpaw to have my grandchildren not want me to leave. It makes me feel as if I’m doing a good job as their grandparent. So, how can I make other people feel good about themselves without coming right out and saying “you’re doing a great job”? Well, I’ll have to think about that because I think it’s a worthy thing to do.