It has (thankfully) been growing somewhat cooler in the state of Texas during the last weeks. Nothing like the temperatures I hear of from other parts of the country. Sometimes social media can make you sad when friends elsewhere talk about thier favorite season of autumn while you enviously look outside at the summer-level heat emmanating off of the sidewalks outside your closed window. At any rate, my family is feeling the pull of seasonal jackets, foods, films, and other items despite their uselessness in our current climate. This led to watching a holiday film, making some cookies, and putting together a pot of chili.
Some ingredients weren’t in the house (as it had been a long while since we’d made the dish) so a special trip to the store was required mid-cooking. Upon returning to the house we opened the door to the smell of wonderul cooking. Our son could also smell it. After his hunger manifested itself in the car he was ready for some food. Our picked up ingredients were added to the pot. We stirred, brought to a quick boil, and waited a bit for it to cool down. Our son got the first taste: a kidney bean covered in chili goodness.
Confusing quickly turned to happiness. He started using the sign for “more” and his mom quickly got another bean for him. By the end of the eating festival he was covered in chili but had devoured the beans and the meat. He truly did enjoy the flavors. His little hands made quick work of the elements on his tray. Soon he was signing “more” again. It was nice to share a piece of our favorite season with our son, despite the temperatures outside and the sunny skies. Maybe we should have closed the blinds and turned up the AC to get into the spirit a little more. At any rate, my family is ready for the colder season. After a hot summer how could you blame us?