Eat, Sleep and Drink Coffee

Yesterday we were invited to go and have a picnic at the Simion's garden, it was my second time going there as I went there last year when here with Susan. It was the perfect day for it as it was a little bit too warm to be comfortable in the sun but under the trees with the breeze blowing it was very pleasant. Mr John met us at the gate when we pulled up and asked me how I was to which I tried to answer him in Romanian but I don't really understand which word for "good" is used when as near as I can figure it there are at least three different ways to say it. But he understood what I meant and after asking whether Curtiss was a good driver or not he ushered us into the garden. They already had the fire going and the food frying (not that they would've let us help anyway) and after saying hi to Mrs Simion and their daughters mother in law who was also there we were told to sit down. They started us out with appetizers, sliced meat (like a salami) cheese, cucumbers and a fish egg spread that they put on bread. I must admit that I had never had fish eggs before and I was kind of glad that I had already taken a bite before I knew what it was as it would've been harder to take the first bite otherwise but it really wasn't bad and if you think about it what is the difference between eggs from fish or chickens? I ate as little of the appetizers as I could as I had gotten a glimpse of the pan of fried potatoes, there was more then last year when we had to eat them all, also I saw the pan of mici (meech, Romanian sausage) and knew that I was going to get a plate full. Mr John tries to get me to eat just as much as he possibly can and I on the other hand try to avoid most of the food that he tries to get me to eat, so it is most amusing, whenever we get together, for everyone else to watch our maneuverings to see who conquers who, and yesterday was no exception. They filled our plates down by the fires (there is no go through the line and take as much or as little as you'd like here) and brought them to us, a soup bowl full of potatoes with the meat on top. I ate about half of it and gave the rest to Curtiss (who I think felt very full for the rest of the day) after my plate was empty Mr John tried to get me to take more food and I said no that I was full so he reached over and took some of the salami and cheese and put it on my plate, I let him do it (I think he was surprised that I wasn't fighting him) and then I took my plate and put it in front of him, he good naturedly ate what he had put there but said that it wouldn't have made me any fuller to have eated them as you would just take two bites and it would be gone, that I think depends on who is taking the bites:) After eating comes coffee and I of course got a cup (thankfully I got to put a extra spoonful of sugar in it and it went down the easiest of any cup yet;) and Mr John told me to drink up as there was digging to do in the garden, so after finishing my cup I asked him where I was suppose to start digging and he said over there on the far side where the corn is, start there and work your way across the whole garden, there are hoes in the shed. So I went and got a hoe wondering how far he was going to let me go, I got the hoe and was on my way to the corn when he called me to come and when I got there he said he was going to teach me how to use it so he took it in his hand and held it out in the air and took my arm and turned me around like he was going to paddle me and told me that if I didn't go and sit down he would show me how it was used;) While all of this was going on he had been busy blowing up a inflatable flat beach tube that after he was done he lay on the ground next to some mats that they already had laid out and called me and everyone else over so that we could lay on them. That was a first for me to go and over to some ones elses place and have them bed you down after feeding you. So we all lay there resting and chatting while Mr John continued to work, cleaning the cooking pots and picking raspberries that we were suppose to eat. After spending most of the day there doing absolutely nothing but eating and resting it was time to go, as the Simion's garden is a couple of miles from their home we gave Mrs Simion and the other lady whos name I don't know a ride back into the city (Mr John rides his bike there and back almost daily) and of course we had to come into their house and have some juice and cookies. While we were there the Simion's son came in (who they had earlier offered to let me marry if I wanted to) and after shaking hands he asked me how old I was after answering him he went into another room and we didn't see him again (we weren't sure if I scared him or if I was too young so there was no use hanging around) By this time it was after six and we had a few groceries to get so we headed out the door, on the way out Mr John tried to get me to take the last cookie saying "one more just one more" and I told him that I had already had one but he instisted and finally he picked it up and set in on the top of my shirt so that if I hadn't grabbed it it would've gone right down my shirt. So the moral of the story is when around Mr John wear turtle necks :)