Hush Puppies

I can't believe I never posted this story. It is about 2 months late. Read it.

Sometime in November Mike brought home some hush puppies--little cornmeal-based bread bite things. Maybe you've eaten them before? They're yummy scrummy.

He brought home a large bag full of them. I warmed some up to eat with our dinner. Before we sat down to eat, Sky had been playing with a mommy/baby kangaroo combo she stole from Grammy's house, which was sitting quietly on the couch.

It occurred to me that the hush puppies were precisely the same size, shape and coloring as the baby kangaroo. I walked over to the couch, picked up the baby kangaroo, then walked back to the kitchen table and picked up a hush puppy.

Me: "Cool! The baby kangaroo looks just like a hush puppy!"

I then popped the hush puppy into my mouth. To the immediate wailing of one Skylar Comfoltey.

What the? Why was she wailing? She managed to find enough breath to sob out the words, "DON'T EAT HIM! DON'T. EAT. MY. BABY. KANGAROO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ah. There it is.

Of course, my mouth was completely full of hush puppy. I tried to explain myself, but instead started to laugh because why in the world would she think I ATE a little stuffed kangaroo? Nearly choked, then kept laughing. Sky wailing all the while.

After swallowing enough of the hush puppy to be able to speak, I said, "I didn't eat the kangaroo! It's a hush puppy!"

Sky: "DON'T EAT HIM!!! DON'T DO IT, MOM!!!!!!"

Me: "I'm not! It's not the kangaroo!!!"

Sometime between shoving the hush puppy into my mouth and Sky freaking out, I had misplaced the baby kangaroo. Finally located, I held him up for her to see. But she kept screaming. Looking back, it's possible she had too many tears in her eyes to be able to see what I was holding...

Me: "Sky! Stop crying!" (Trying so hard not to laugh; failing). "Sky! It's not the kangaroo! Look! LOOK!!! I'm HOLDING IT!"

Sky: completely out of her mind with grief.

Me: "Sky, why would I eat the kangaroo?! WHY WOULD I DO THAT?!?! I don't eat kangaroos! Or stuffed animals!"

Sky: calming down a little. "What is in your mouth?"

Me: "A hush puppy."

Sky: (between sobs) "Open."

So I did. I showed her the chewed up hush puppy and held the baby kangaroo in the air for her to bear witness of his non-chewed nature.

A couple of minutes later, Sky calmed down. I chucked the baby kangaroo back onto the couch next to its mom. Then I sat down and made the mistake of shoving another hush puppy into my mouth, which restarted the wailing.

At some point, I did stuff the baby kangaroo into my mouth for effect. That's neither here nor there.

The next time we ate hush puppies, I was instructed "not to eat the baby kangaroo; only the hush puppies."

Consider it a lesson learned.