Happy Days Are Here Again

This week, w had Sha and the kids over for our traditional early-week dinner as we have done for years. Shauna has the kids on Mondays and Tuesdays, so it is a good time to help a working mother as well as for us to enjoy the family.

That custom was pretty much obliterated by the pandemic, but we're all vaxxed now and also as careful as possible otherwise. The kids are back at school, but all of the students are masked, and I suspect the great majority of them are also vaxxed. Mind you, there has been an isolated case, or maybe two, at their school. Fortunately, there hasn't been a subsequent outbreak.

We recommenced meals sporadically in August for we had to work around holidays and such, but we have been getting together pretty much on schedule this month.

This week, we served tuna casserole, and I recalled to Danica the time when I first served it to her during a sleepover. She was young, and it was not the tuna casserole that she was expecting based on her mother's cooking, and she was most definitely not impressed. Last night, I told her about that and explained that is why I began to call it bupparoni instead – to avoid the comparison and expectation. 

If you don't already know, I am Buppa to the kids, and even to Sue and Shauna now. My straight macaroni dish, I call macabuppa because it is not quite like traditional mac either. I don't suppose that matters though as I don't think the kids get served that cheesy, high calorie version anyway.

Unlike the normal dish, my tuna casserole, is made without peas but with lots of cheese and some mayo along with celery, pepper and green onions. It is quite tasty although it still isn't Danica's or Jonathan's favourite. 

I don't think that most of my dishes are highly favoured by the kids, but it is good to get together and share a meal, especially when we also have a few laughs.

We did have some belly busting laughs on Tuesday. One occurred when JJ gave a funny and excellent imitation of me talking to the cat. It was hilarious, but of course you had to be there. Then Sue got all muddled by wondering if the person whom she had just called Helan was named Dorothy. I won't try to explain further, but it sent us into hysterics. If JJ's imitation hadn't been enough of a hoot, we really roared over Sue's little lapse.

The return of family times means good times for us, even though we otherwise still strive to live with the pandemic. I am reminded of the old song, Happy Days Are Here Again*. Even if that is stretching things a bit, I think I'll use as this blog's title now that I have made the association.

Speaking of living with the pandemic, as of Wednesday in this province, many venues require patrons to produce a vax passport in order to enter the premises. This include restaurants, bars, gyms, sports, meetings and events. Of course, we also continue to mask and maintain restrictions about size of gatherings and so on.

*A version of Happy Days Are Here Again, from 1930  for your delectation.