Over the past few weeks Max has
- repeated the word "ghost" over and over and over and over while on a ghost tour of the Queen Mary
- pointed at a supposed "ghost" while scrolling through photos taken on said tour
- told me that the plumber is a ghost
- pointed at the water in the toilet bowl and said "ghost"
- found a ghost in a documentary about elephants
- pointed out a window, no less than three times, and said "ghost"
So, I guess there is a chance that Max is indeed connected to a spirit world. But it seems more likely he just extremely obsessed with the idea of finding one of these elusive entities. I should probably point out that he isn't frightened of the idea - I don't think he has the framework in place to have such feelings... Yet. He is just zealously smitten.
And this makes me so ridiculously and extremely proud of myself. I have passed on the torch of obsession.
When we were younger, my friend and I were ardent enthusiasts of ghosts. Like super obsessed. We created ghost stories out of every day life, even insisting that a sibling's swimming instructor was really a ghost. We supposedly had evidence of this fact. Even though, you know, she was right there and visible to everyone and conducting class on a weekly basis. This is what you do to stave off boredom. Create elaborate stories of ghost worlds.
I've basically gotten over this. Maybe? I still think it is fun, but, you know, I no longer believe that the swimming instructor was actually a ghost.
To celebrate my life's triumph, I made a sundae. A sundae of vanilla ice cream, apricot compote, tarragon leaves sprinkled with a a smidgen of crisped cubes of pancetta. A slightly unusual but nonetheless delicious accompaniment to our mom and tot conversations about ghosts.
Ingredients
scoops of very vanilla ice cream (or use your favorite recipe/store-bought version)
tarragon leaves
handful of fried pancetta cubes
For the compote:
13 apricots, pitted and halved
2 teaspoons juice from a Meyer lemon
3-4 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
To make the compote: Put everything into a pot. Cook on low for about 8-10 minutes, until warm and the apricots start to break down.
To make the sundaes: Place scoops of vanilla ice cream in dish. Top with the apricot compote. Sprinkle handful of torn tarragon leaves on top. Finish with the pancetta.
