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Big lunchtime meals whet appetite for long naps


Most every day is Sunday dinner at The Place.

It is truly a luxury for us to be able to have the main meal of the day at lunchtime.

It’s even better when we have time for a nap afterwards.

Now that I am officially retired, I tackle some chores in the morning and then await my wife, who is semi-retired and teaching half-day classes.

Depending on our mood and appetite, she either prepares an entire meal or we scavenge some leftovers.

My wife has become extremely talented at cooking, a far cry from our newlywed days when the only food group she didn’t burn was salad.

The only problem is that she still tends to cook for our entire family even though all the kids are grown and out on their own.

Thus, we have lots of leftovers that we simply can’t throw away.

Regardless of the menu, we do fill up on yummy food and then it’s time for me to do my part.

I am the head dish washer in the family and, since it is a daily chore, try to make it as easy on myself as possible.

I’ll even rinse some pots, pans and dishes that have crud on them before it is the actual dish-washing time. It’s a lot easier than using a wire brush to scrape off clingy food.

Then, if our timing is right, nap time is the next order of business.

Napping is an important part of the day when you reach our age. These are no short-term power naps; no, these are get out the blanket and settle in for a long-term sleep-a-thon.

The dogs and horse usually let us know when it is time to get up and do the evening chores.

The horse will climb up a couple of the steps on the side stairs to the porch and gaze inside. This triggers the dogs, who bark and bark at the 1,000-pound intruder.

After feeding the livestock and playing fetch with the dogs, who need exercise more than me, it’s dark and we finish off the day with a light snack, some TV shows and books.

It’s not the most exciting of routines, but it suits us and brings back mostly pleasant memories of times when our grandparents were at the same age we are now.

The older versions of myself also catered to big-time meals at lunch, which involved mostly German food on one side of the family and home-grown vegetables on the other.

The most delicious meal I can recall is a brimming bowl of hominy bathed in a thick and messy sauce of cheese. Only problem was keeping myself from spilling such a delight. Hindered, of course, by the rigid rules of keeping my elbows off the table and hat off my head.

And there was fresh bread at every meal, useful for sopping up those afore-mentioned spills.

That’s enough to make me feel quite full and whet my appetite for another long nap.