There's no such thing as too much soup.

I’ve got a huge pot of soup on the stove. I’m making my famous Beef Barley Soup (see earlier post) ... except this time I substituted chicken for the round steak and used white cannellini beans. The smell is INTOXICATING, and I seriously don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to hold out. My soup won’t be ready for another 90 minutes. Help me, please.

Today is my mother’s 88th birthday. I’ve been trying to call her since early afternoon but there’s no answer, so I’m assuming she either has her cell phone turned off or she’s in the hospital. The latter explanation is the likely one, since she always seems to wind up in the hospital on her birthday for one reason or another. Happy birthday, mom ... wherever you are! (If anything serious is going on I’m sure I’ll hear from my sister tonight.)

For your possible interest and amusement, here’s a nostalgic family photo taken at kiddieland sometime around 1958. That’s mom on top, I’m in the middle and my sister Robin is at the bottom. Posing for pictures is NOT as much fun as going on rides so I imagine this activity didn’t last very long. And I actually think Robin was ready to throw up.

Before I forget ...

Please accept our heartfelt Hanukkah wishes for a pile of homemade latkes and a lot of terrific presents. Shalom, y’all.