End of Pantry Potluck

In Ranger-Speak you often hear phrases such as "end of season." We know a whole lotta seasonal park rangers and their lives revolve around beginning of season, mid-season, and end of season, so naturally, they've come up with this tradition called "End of Pantry Potluck." Basically, all the food you've been hauling into the park was meant for in-park consumption. Nobody wants to haul food out of the park because packing is work enough and cleaning takes time and once you're out of the park, you have so much access to grocery stores and restaurants. Also, you really need to have some kind of food supply throughout the season, because you never know when you might be trapped in the park or need to provide for someone else. Eventually, however, you start mentally timing your food supply and work a little to match it up with your departure.

So around this time of year, they have the End of Pantry Potluck. Only this year, someone accidentally typed "End of Panty Potluck" in the email!

My darling husband felt confident about using his last box of Suddenly Salad (instant pasta side dish) and enhancing it with his last can of Spam. Someone else made chicken quesadillas. There was a cake. And carne asada. Oh yes, Sloppy Joe. And a good time was had by all.

Except me. I wasn't there. We keep trying, but we don't always live together and that's a drag. A drag that drags on and on. The draggiest drag. Like for years. Which is why he's coming home instead of living Elsewhere. We're trying to do what we can, but faith and trust in a plan we can't see is getting us by for now. And we know plenty of other rangers in the same boat.