Because although
it’s been days since I climbed those mahogany-stained steps and peered over the
wrought-iron railing, I know what awaits.
Our home is
diseased. Closets, dressers, desks, athletic bags and backpacks are spewing
forth their contents. Papers -- printed and lined and blank -- lie piled,
stacked, crumpled. All-but-empty Diet Coke bottles are cast about like forgotten
bowling pins. Coffee-residued cups line the end table. The bedroom wastebasket
– usually emptied every month or so –can’t contain the current collection of dried
out markers, inkless pens, inexplicable index cards, and Clif bar wrappers.
It’s exam time.
Julia’s last set of high school exams. Sigh.
This isn’t my
first rodeo. I know my job. I grease the tracks. I stay out of the way. I’m
ever-present. You want fruit? Strawberries, blueberries, kiwi and grapefruit
are in the fridge. Not happy with the lunch at school? I’ll be in the
neighborhood – why don’t I bring you a chicken salad bagel? Running low on gas?
I’ll fill you up. You’re tired? Let me fluff the pillow.
This is my job. I
know it well. I’ve done it for years. But this my last. This is Julia’s last
set of high school exams. She’ll have plenty more exams, of course. She’ll
rocket off to college and pull all-nighters and down espressos and bounce off
walls, but she’ll do it without me.
What’s most
important in that sentence, I guess, is she’ll do it without me. She’ll be just
fine. She’ll be awesome.
And me? I can’t
even imagine. Really? I won’t be tiptoeing around the house at this time next
year? I won’t be indulging unexpected requests for soup and cookies and Jello?
I won’t be making last minute runs to deliver lunch to school? I won’t be
dropping everything to hear what amounts to a 15 second story about a friend’s
college acceptance? Or a 15-minute story about the cat?
What am I going
to do?
I guess I'll cook. And perhaps, venture upstairs. Which will be neat and
orderly and clutter-free –welcoming my exhausted college student home, with clean sheets on the
bed, and nary an empty Diet Coke bottle in sight.
Potato Soup
Our tradition has always been that, as Julia studies, I cook and bake and try to anticipate what she'll want next. I lucked out with this potato soup tonight.
4 slices of raw bacon, chopped
1 onion, sliced thinly
16-20 baby carrots, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4-6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
2 bay leaves
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons butter
sour cream
In a large, deep skillet, sauté bacon over medium heat. When very crispy, remove bacon browned bits, setting aside for later, and keeping bacon grease in pan. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic to pan. Reduce heat to low, and sauté, slowly, until onions are translucent and slightly browned. Stir in potatoes and bay leaves. Pour in broth, raise heat to high, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30-45 minutes, until potatoes are very soft. Remove bay leaves, and using a potato masher or immersion blender, smooth out the consistency (we like it a bit chunky). Stir in the cream and butter. Season well with salt and pepper. Serve hot, with bacon bits on top, and, if desired, a large dollop of sour cream.
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