Bee is for Buettner, babies, and bananas (7 Quick Takes)

~1~

I spotted some bumblebee placemats at the store and decided to treat myself to them. People often give me bee and insect items because I collect flyswatters. I also like that St. Rita is often depicted with bees because of the story of how bees hovered around her and went in and out of her mouth when she was an infant.

When I put dinner on the table yesterday, I told my children that I bought the placemats because “bee is for Buettner.” Which, of course, it is. It’s even more fun than a monogram.

~2~

I’ve been waiting for my younger brother and two friends to welcome their babies, all due right about now, and two of them arrived on the same day this week. Neither of those families knew the gender of the baby ahead of time, and they are both boys. I’m still waiting for my newest nephew to arrive, and he could be born any day. There’s something so wonderful about waiting for a baby to be born.

~3~

I like buying different kinds of foods and holding taste tests. Lately, we have been trying different kinds of ramen.

What we tend to discover is that our favorite is the one we knew we liked, but it always seems like fun to give a different brand or flavor a try.

This one comes with bits of seaweed and sesame seeds that you mix in at the end. We probably need a rubric to score them, but this one has been popular.

~4~

My friend Theresa and I met for lunch to celebrate her birthday a little late, and we had the most wonderful time. We went to the Milton Inn, which is always delicious, but the conversation and the time together are the best. Theresa reminded me that we have been enjoying birthday lunches together for 15 years. In that time, we have both changed jobs, and our third birthday lunch partner moved out of town. But the lunches continue, and I am already looking forward to the next one.

We were also celebrating my son’s high school admission. You have to look closely at the photo to figure out where he’s headed.

~5~

My children decided to play a game and hold up playing cards at a distance to see how bad my eyesight is without my glasses. It was humbling, but they thought it was hilarious. It’s not easy to tell a diamond from a heart.

~6~

I can’t believe that we have snow this weekend. It’s like a last little burst of winter before spring comes at last.

This week I participated in an online retreat, Along the Way, run through a center at Boston College and led by Laura Kelly Fanucci. I wasn’t able to participate live, but I listened to the sessions afterward. One of the best things to come out of the pandemic are all the virtual opportunities to pray and reflect and learn together.

Laura asked us to think about the people who have helped us shoulder what we are carrying, and then also think about those who have helped us heal. It was such a beautiful way to think about people who walk with us on this journey through life.

~7~

Last week I shared that I had bought 42 bananas for my sister Treasa when she asked me to get her “a nice number of bananas.” I missed an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of the number 42 in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It is, after all, the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

What you’re really wondering is how long it would take my sister’s family of seven to get through 42 bananas. I delivered them on Sunday afternoon. By 5:18 p.m. on Wednesday, they had whittled the pile down to one final banana.

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