Smith College, Class of 2008: My Sister Graduates

My little sister, the one for whom I wrote poetry when she was two or three. The tiny one with lovely blond ringlets, who I let fall asleep on my chest when she cried inconsolably. The one who listened to music from the Wizard of Oz with me and then became frightened when I cackled like a witch. She is tiny no more.

Now she is a college graduate. On her way to getting her Masters at Brandeis, where I went to college. Funny thing is, she attended my college graduation when she was just 3 months old. I remember her in her stroller, sleeping through a fancy graduation dinner. I was tickled to have her there.

She was the first baby I loved. I taught her how to make eating peas fun. I wonder if she still likes to eat them that way, tossing them up and catching them in her mouth. Does she still have the poem I wrote about them?

She certainly has good taste in food, albeit a few picky quirks. She chose a perfect, homey restaurant on Northampton, MA, The Green Bean, for her post graduation brunch. It was a very unassuming spot. I immediately noted that the restaurant features local and organic ingredients. My sister proclaimed to have me in mind when she selected it and I couldn't have been more pleased with the choice.

Look how adorable she looks tucking into her meal...

How the day unfolded...

Graduation morning was long, more for Izzy than for me. It was sunny so he played by his chair and made it through processions, speeches and photo ops. He only became impatient as it drew closer to lunchtime. The worst occurred while we waited for a table. By then it was past 1:30 and he was beside himself with hunger, never mind that the older male relatives (I won't mention any names) went off for pizza and beer while we sat and held our place in line for the table. Poor Izzy was groaning with hunger.

When we were eventually seated I needed to demand a biscuit immediately, to fight off the hungry wolf but that only whetted his appetite further. Then this arrived.

Huevos Rancheros with Kale. One of many fabulous sounding combinations. Izzy's strange miso soup concoction came too. It was not as I had imagined but he would have eaten anything at that point. All of the dishes looked wonderful. A definite must-eat if you are in the neighborhood. Oh and completely kid-friendly, plenty of entertaining toys in a small nook in the back.


The Green Bean
241 Main St
Northampton MA
(413) 584-2326

Graduation over, flowers presented, lunch eaten; my sister and company retired to her chambers and we went back to our Bed and Breakfast, which is a whole other matter to be tended to shortly.