I found this picture among my many photos, and I believe it captures a special moment in my family’s life. We were at the Oregon coast and having a picnic. It was some time ago, and Teri and Cindy were teenagers at the time. Seated at the table on the right side from the front is Teri, Robin (a friend of Teri’s) me, Cindy at the end on the left and my mother, the matriarch of the family, in front on the left. We had just finished our lunch, and we all put up our plates and licked them. Licking plates is something we did . . . I guess it sort of took the place of saying grace which we never did. I don’t know if Robin’s family said grace, but she went right along with our routine. Possibly she incorporated that into her own family’s routine if the matriarch of her family agreed. I should have Teri find out. I notice Cindy didn’t even lift her plate to lick it – she put her face right down in it on the table. Cindy was an enthusiastic participant in almost anything.

I still lick my plate at times - family traditions are meant to be kept. I do it if there is good meat juice which tastes delicious when licked right off the plate. I suppose I could go out to the kitchen and get a piece of bread to soak up the juice, but that would take valuable time which I don’t have as I am a busy person. Sometimes I get up and close my blinds so people walking by my window can’t see me licking, and other times I don’t really care if they do. After all, it’s my house.