Tougha Customers, No?

Outside, the perennial hibiscus are the size of plates. Inside, Bea is just down for a nap, exhausted by our morning bakery/shopping expedition. Downstairs, the cousins are assembled with bowls of noodles and sauce, and Grandmama is singing them "Italian songs" to get them to eat--Sole Mio, I hava you here to eata my spaghetti, you are so beeeautiful. . .To which they objected that she was singing in English and not Italian. Well. Tougha customers, no?

Here's a bit from Martin's e-mail to his dad:
Yesterday, Merry and Josiah caught minnows all day in the creek and insisted they be allowed to make "fish stew." So, grudgingly, I dumped the little guys in boiling water, chopped their heads and tails off, and put what was left into a broth the kids helped me make. We all ate some, but after, Merry said she didn't like feeling the bones between her teeth, and felt sick about seeing the fish swimming and now eating them.

Immm. Fresh fish stew. We convinced Merry and her cousin Josiah to make a habitat for the minnows and crawdads today instead of serving us all (I sloshed some of my minnow stew in the wiegelia bushes, Aunty Heather shoved some of hers through the deck boards, Mom lay awake last night with a slightly roiling stomach and thought in detail about the minuscule bit of minnow she ate pre-hotdog for supper and Josiah pronounced it was very delicious.)

Good times.