01.12.2003 | 5:54 pm

Son #1 has what the family affectionately calls �cookie radar� The radar image would also extend to pizza, Sunday dinner, my cell phone, and a myriad of other conveniences he gave up when he left home and got married. Both he and his wife are going to school and on somewhat of a limited budget. Consquently, home they trot quite often for the little niceties of mom's house. I really don�t mind this little habit....except when... I honestly think it must be built into our family's genetic code. As far back as I can remember, all my uncles, aunts, and cousins, on both sides of the family, managed to traipse into my grandmother�s houses and find the newest taste creation before it had time to cool and be nibbled up.

Yesterday I had to venture forth to Wal-mart to do ALL the grocery and drug store shopping. I just didn�t want to run all over town. You take your life in your own hands when you enter any Wal-mart, and should consider yourself extremely fortunate if you manage to make it back from the black hole with sanity in tact and cash in your account. It is interesting how deceptive �lower prices� affect a normally thrifty shopper. You see fantastic prices on so many items, that by the time you head to the check-out counter, you have twice as much as you originally intended to buy. This scenario is typical for me every time I get sucked into Wal-mart.

James and I unloaded the van and began stowing all the goods when we both looked at the two packages of gourmet cookies and laughed. I said, �I think we need to hide these from D.� James smiled and agreed. A few minutes later, daughter #1 called from school, as she was grading papers, to ask what was going on. I mentioned the cookies. �D�s �cookie radar� will be turned on, better watch out!� *giggle* Sure enough, in about 30 minutes, he showed up. He headed straight for the cookie jar and instantly, gone were about half of my deliciously soft, ginger-molasses cookies. He also managed to wake me from my much needed Saturday afternoon snooze. My tail was dragging for the rest of the day. I am still staring at the CHRISTMAS TREE!... not undecorated...blah!

Today is the Sabbath; the day of REST. I went to church like a good little girl. I put dinner on the stove and settled down for that nap I had lost out on yesterday. Son #1 must have had his �nap radar� on. No sooner had I dozed off, than there he was...needing to borrow my cell phone. I am still tired from jet-lag, school, report cards, and just being a grandma. I want my nap and my cookies!

catsnapples~ contending with the radar man

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