These are the topics that were discussed immediately prior to and during tonight’s family dinner. I know, with a 6- and 4-year old that we’re not going to be discussing the use of epiphany in Joyce, but is it too much to ask that when we sit down to eat a dinner I’ve spent the past hour preparing (“You cook every night?” my neighbor asked me when we had her over for cocktails a few weeks ago. “I don’t know ANYONE who cooks every night.”) a delicious chicken casserole with every leftover in my fridge that hadn’t gone over to the dark side (sorry rice, sorry red cabbage — only 4 Tbsp of each but into the garbage they went), that we discuss something other than the death of my first-grader’s teacher’s dog?

Maybe I’m just being bitchy. Regardless, we’re praying for the teacher –and Chase, departed to doggie heaven– tonight. And then I’ll have a second helping, once the children are abed.

Yeah, I’m probably being bitchy. Most likely because Lex started the conversation with, “I think Nana’s going to die soon,” and I told him, “I don’t think so” and did not say what first came to mind: “I hope so.”