Marta “Rooney-Bobs” LaRue

Charlie had been here for about an hour when Marta arrived yesterday afternoon.  Both had driven up (in separate cars)– Charlie from L.A. and Marta from the Bay Area.  They had rendezvoused in Roseburg Sunday night and left about the same time.  But Marta had a stop to make at CostCo on her way.  (Of course she did!)

Wow! A million caprese salads!

After she arrived and we hugged and kissed and looked everyone over for signs of the years’ ravages (there didn’t seem to be any) she unloaded (and unloaded and unloaded…) her car.  (Or was it a bus?  Or a van? or one of those ever-outpouring clown cars?)  I should have taken pictures!  About two-thirds of the items coming through the front door were clothes etc. destined for her room up the killer stairs. “I packed in lots of little bags,” she told me.  Apparently, getting up and down with her normal suitcase-on-rollers very nearly swept all the pictures off the stairwell wall last year.

Temptations Galore!

But the other gazillion items were food!  Not only had she stopped at Cost-Co in Warrenton — rotisserie chicken for dinner!! — but she had apparently cleaned out several Trader Joes in the Bay Area before she began the trip.

The perfect snack — in there somewhere!

Result: cupboards full, fridge full, counter space covered, and temptation EVERYYwhere.  How does she do it?  Her metabolism is one of the Wonders of Nature!  And except for a few sweet items — for me she said — it’s all healthy.

And the best part of all?  She’s put herself in charge of meal planning and preparation.  Charlie and I will try to do our part as sous chefs and servers but… that Marta!  What an amazing bonus daughter she is!!!