I’m writing to you from Snowshoe.
While my co-workers toil away this week, I’m sleeping in, lounging at the pool, kayaking and shooting skeet.
We’ve hiked and jogged, picnicked and eaten in restaurants. And we’ve eaten in at our rented condo – bacon and eggs, pasta and marinara, carrots and hummus. And one, big, glorious lemon cake.
See, we stopped at the IGA in Marlinton Saturday morning to pick up some last-minute provisions. Right at the entrance, there was a glorious array of baked goods, including a beautiful, yellow, lemon layer cake for $8.99.
“I’m buying that cake,” I told Tom. He didn’t argue. He may have looked at me sideways, or I may have been projecting my self-judgement on him. Probably. Nevertheless, I bought that cake and tucked it safely into a nook in the backseat floorboard of my SUV, so that it would not be jostled or otherwise abused on the way up the mountain.
Guys, this cake is delicious. And, here’s the thing: no one else in my family thinks so. It’s just me, this cake, and whatever bit of self control I can muster at any given moment.
We eat eggs and bacon for breakfast. I take mine with a piece of toast and some black coffee. And a slice of cake. Lunch? Cold cuts and cheese, carrots and hummus. And maybe another slice of cake. I don’t want it to get stale.
I happened to see a meme on Facebook the other day that said, “Life begins when you realize you can buy a cake for no reason.”
I read this and I said, “Yes,” to no one in particular, nodding in agreement with my phone screen. “Indeed it does.”
I have never bought a cake from the grocery store for no reason before Saturday. Likely, I won’t do it again, until our next vacation. See, Tom calls it my Vacation Cake, which I’ve shortened to Vacay Cake, because I like things that rhyme.
Like sleeping in and spending your days hiking and swimming, eating an entire cake over the span of a week is something we don’t do day-in and day-out.
Next week, it’ll be back to work, and hopefully, back to healthier meals. In the meantime, though, I’m going to enjoy myself. And this delicious lemon cake.
