This Week in Boca

The grocery stores in Boca are running on extra staff this week. They even have baggers at every aisle which is unbelievable around here. Most of the time I now bring Jake shopping with me, even with the countless "Can I have that? NO! Can I have that? NO!", because he is becoming quite an efficient bagger, as I actually pulled this out of the plastic a few days ago.

As this is my first conscious Passover/Easter living here (last year I was four months pregnant and out of my mind sick), I was really looking forward to the plethora of Passover products from which I would be able to choose. I know that there are endcaps and spaces dedicated to the flour-free everywhere this week, but man-oh-man...we have aisles stocked with various legal goodies.

Publix has been stocked for Passover since the first of March. While I looked to see what they had, I didn't purchase anything. I had until the second week of April anyway. And with that selection, and with a high Jewish customer base, why even bother to stock up until the last minute?

Because you live in a city with a high Jewish customer base, that's why.

I went yesterday for my official Passover shopping: roast, kugel ingredients, eggs, gefilte fish. Wait a minute...where was the coconute flakes (for Macaroons), the whole wheat matzah, the parsley? The shelves were near empty. Gone, purchased, safely stored in the cupboards of all the people around the neighborhood, except mine.

Okay, so I will improvise (meaning drive around today and tomorrow like a maniac looking for coconut, parsley, and Premium Gold gefilte). Thank God our souls will be saved by Tony and Lisa's second night Seder, properly performed and prepared by her and her charming parents. And it is always fun, after we get the first fifteen minutes out of the way: trying to answer Eric's grandmother why we don't see/call her/Eric's dad enough.

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My friend Donna really feels sorry for Jake that he doesn't get an egg hunt, and my Spring basket of goodies didn't make her one bit happier.

As we were driving down to her house Friday night for the relaxing weekend on the west coast, she called me on the cell. "Listen," she said in her inimitable way. "Do you eat pork?" Well, it just was a little out of context as I was thinking she was calling to know why we were late.

"Um, yeah."
"Good. 'Cause we're having pork chops tomorrow night, and Buddy said I needed to check whether or not you ate that. I told him you did, because that was just silly." I adore Donna and her frankness. I promise next year I am inviting her to the Seder, because how silly would she think that Matzoh sandwich of horseradish and apples and raisins would be!?!

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Jake is studying the Holocaust in school, and has really had some heartfelt observations.

I picked him up yesterday and asked how his day was.

"Fine," he answered. "We don't have much homework."
"Great!" I told him.
"And," he added. "I really hate those Nazis."

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Meanwhile Simon has stopped biting. He is on doggie Buspar, and the good thing is he has calmed down enough that if I need to, I can wrestle him down for half the tablet for myself.