I swore I would NEVER eat in front of the TV again after Mr. Virgo died. Actually, I swore I’d never have TV again and I didn’t for several years. Every night he would put a thick bath towel on the coffee table in front of us and we would have to sit and watch whatever it was he wanted to watch. I hated it. I didn’t care for TV and I certainly wasn’t crazy about some of the TV shows he watched, but he was my husband and you can’t always get your own way in a marriage. There were some shows he watched that I enjoyed, like The West Wing and Law & Order. But overall, I don’t care for a lot of television.

That being said, I married another TV watcher. He does hold off on the shows he knows I won’t watch and saves them for times I’m busy doing something else. But most of the time we sit in our Big Red Chairs and watch the news or whatever show we’re interested in. Again, I don’t get to make all the choices in this marriage either. And really, we’re of an age where things just aren’t such a big deal, right?

When I got up yesterday morning, I realized I was going to run out of one of my meds and of course, I called it in and it was out of refills. They were predicting a big snow storm for last night into today and I wanted to get that prescription so I didn’t run out. So, guess what we did yesterday afternoon? That’s right…another trip to town. On the way in, I suggested Ham & Potato Soup for supper, which was the perfect dish for a cold night.

I grew up with Potato Soup. My mom made the BEST ever. I’ve never been really good at it and I don’t think I’ve ever made it for Mr. FixIt, so it was time to try. We bought a small bag of red potatoes and some celery at the store. I sautéed a chopped onion and one chopped up celery heart in some EVO. Then I washed the potatoes and cut them up in cubes and added them to the pot. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and celery seed along with about three tablespoons of butter. Then I added one box of chicken broth, covered the pot and let it simmer for about 40 minutes. As soon as the potatoes were tender, I added about a cup or so of cubed ham, half a cup of heavy cream, and enough milk to make the desired consistency. Just before serving, I took a potato masher and mashed up just enough of the potatoes to make a nice creamy soup. 

You know how certain smells and tastes can transport you across a lifetime? Well, I was sitting in my Big Red Chair eating my soup, but my heart was with my sweet mama at the little Formica table in our sparse kitchen on 55th Street. In my mind, I was just a little girl, at home, sick from school with a cold, in my flannel granny gown as my mom took care of me. I can still feel her soft, cool hand on my fevered brow. In four days it will be twenty years since my mama died. Two decades. I always know how long it’s been because Big was born just six weeks after her great-grandmother died. 

We’ve all had losses in our lives, but losing our moms is one of the hardest things to deal with. If we had a wonderful and loving relationship, we grieve that loss profoundly. If we had less than a stellar relationship, we mourn the fact that there’s no more chances to get it right. I wish I would have been a better daughter to my mom. I comfort myself in knowing she is in Heaven and I’ll see her again and all will be forgiven. Isn’t that glorious?

After supper, I went to my studio and knitted up another pair of mittens so I could do the handwork in the Big Red Chair while we waited for the snow storm. And watched a little TV. 

*sigh*

❄️🩵❄️

”You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.“

Psalm 74:17 ESV