As a family, we become somewhat dysfunctional when we are hungry. This is a genetic affliction that arrived in this country from Ireland in 1919 when my very hungry and very grumpy grandfather stepped off the boat in Boston Harbor after escaping an entire nation of citizens just like him.
My dad was very grumpy when he was hungry too. This is why my mom had dinner on the table at 5:30 sharp every evening but, that wasn't soon enough for my dad. When he arrived home from work every day he chowed a bowl of puffed rice moments before dinner. If we ever ate that close to dinner time, we would be in the dog house. My dad couldn't fit in the dog house. Actually, we didn't even have a dog house or a dog.
BTW, What ever happened to puffed rice and grape nuts (of ule gibbons fame)? Those were my dad's two favorite cereals.
I digress: I was so hungry and grumpy the other night with my girls that I declared myself to be an unfit parent. I blame bad genes.
There was another genetic incident that occurred a couple of weeks ago while we driving home in the truck after one of my girls' very sloooooooowwwwwwww moving softball games. I estimated that 35 runs scored on bases-loaded walks during that game. It was very late to be eating dinner and it became very obvious that my oldest (aka Jelly Jar Lumen) was showing her bad genes.
When we got into the truck after the game, she was absolutely miserable and she demanded that we stop for something to eat before we got to my house. I told her "no," we were ten minutes away and I had leftovers waiting.
"You have to have something to eat in this car. I am sooooo hungry" she demanded
I said, "I'm sorry hun, there's nothing."
"Yes there is." she said.
"I don't think so." I answered.
"If you don't stop, I will eat these."
A couple of nights before when we went fishing in the lake, I had the delusional thought of fishing a little myself while they were plying the lake for Nassie and blue gills. I brought some rubber worm hooks and plastic baits with the hope of catchin me a "big hawg" largemouth bass. It never happened but, I left the bag of cute little rubber 'fishee thangs' (called Zoom Baits) on the floor of my truck. They were of the 4 inch - 'smokin - shad' variety.
When I looked over at her, she was reaching into bag take one of them hostage.
"Daddy.....If you don't stop to get me something to eat, I am going to eat this." she announced.
She was dangling a zoom bait above her largemouth like she was a bass.
"Don't eat that!! That's a good color and those things are expensive!!" I shouted.
She ignored me like any grumpy teenager would, put 'the smokin shad' Zoom bait in her mouth, bit it in half and started to chew it (kinda).
Ewe!
At this point I told her to spit it out because I was worried about it having some sort of toxic ingredient (which I am certain isn't harmful to fish).
She did.
We laughed and got to my house for left over spaggs and meatballs.
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