Daily Droppings: “Puzzle Pieces”

Special thanks to Sandra from What Sandra Thinks who created a series of daily prompts for the month of February which are the source of inspiration for this series.

The prompt: “Puzzle Pieces”

Missing Pieces

As soon as I saw this prompt it brought me back to childhood reading of Curious George – the story of him eating the puzzle piece.

Thinking of Curious George brought me back to other childhood favorites such as Where the Wild Things Are and The Phantom Tollbooth.

These were not just my favorites as a child but also as a father.

I’m sitting here writing this 13 hours away from my daughter who is living and going to graduate school in Cambridge, Mass. And 16 hours away from my son who is living and going to undergraduate school in Los Angelas.

I used to read or tell them a story every night at bedtime. I’d also sing an off-tune lullaby. Now I’m awaking for the day as they prepare to sleep. This distance in time makes me feel even further away then being half-way around the world. I miss them.

I spoke with my son yesterday. It was his 20th birthday. We made birthday noodles and bought an ice-cream cake and recorded a video singing happy birthday to him. I felt sad. I miss him.

Birthday Noodles for “long life”

I reached out to my daughter yesterday and again today, but she is not feeling well and we did not have the chance to talk. I miss her.

Today I feel like an incomplete puzzle. Missing two center pieces.

Missing my best buddy and my dearest sweetie.

Much love to you.

Be well,

Monty

Published by Monty Vern

Work-in-Progress personal blogger, author & illustrator, and fallible human being.

13 Comments

  1. Michelle (Boomer Eco Crusader) says:
    February 20, 2022 at 8:27 pm

    Hugs Monty. It is hard when our kids fly the coop. My older daughter is at college only an hour away but, thanks to COVID, our visits are infrequent. I miss her. Our younger daughter is living at home and attending college locally. I’m happy about that.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Monty Vern says:
      February 21, 2022 at 5:22 am

      Thanks Michelle. Yeah, Covid really does change the situation. There is one thing about being far away in time and distance and another thing about NOT being able to make the trip even if we wanted to. Thanks again.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. TheDreamGirlWrites says:
    February 20, 2022 at 9:45 pm

    I love Curious George too!!

    Aw, it is sad… I hope you get to meet them soon!

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    Reply
    1. Monty Vern says:
      February 21, 2022 at 5:20 am

      Thank you!! Yeah, Curious George was always good for some fun (over and over and over again) as a kid.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. gigglingfattie says:
    February 20, 2022 at 10:36 pm

    Awwww I know this missing well. I’ve lived in South Korea for holidays and birthdays while my family was in Ontario. Its so hard! Take it easy and I hope you’ll all be together again soon!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Monty Vern says:
      February 21, 2022 at 5:19 am

      Thanks for your warm thoughts. We were lucky to have been able to see the kids last fall in between the Delta variant and Omicron new wave. It’s hard enough to be separate, especially during special days, but knowing that its impossible to travel even if we wanted to makes it even harder somehow.

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      1. gigglingfattie says:
        February 21, 2022 at 5:28 am

        Awww yes for sure!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Kathleen says:
    February 21, 2022 at 3:03 am

    Awww.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Sam "Goldie" Kirk says:
    February 22, 2022 at 11:16 pm

    Awww… I feel you. Been there, done that – being away from loved ones. Although, we were always able to communicate via phone as the time zone difference was not as vast as yours. I hope you get to see them soon enough.

    The ramen (?) looks great. Though, I have one question – the egg in the shell… when do you put it in, and for how long to make sure it cooks?

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    1. Monty Vern says:
      February 22, 2022 at 11:54 pm

      In this case it’s a “tea” egg, which was was prepared separately then added on top of the noodle. This is a bit of a hybrid dish with Japanese noodles and Chinese tea egg. In Japan it would have been an onsen egg which is basically a soft boiled egg.

      It was absolutely delicious by the way! 🤤

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Sam "Goldie" Kirk says:
        February 23, 2022 at 12:02 am

        I was wondering if there was a secret method of boiling the egg in the broth or something.

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      2. Monty Vern says:
        February 23, 2022 at 5:09 am

        For the tea egg yes, you boil in a flavored broth…but it’s not the same broth as the soup in the noodle.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Sam "Goldie" Kirk says:
        February 23, 2022 at 10:17 pm

        I always wanted to try that… Maybe I will this weekend. I’ll let you know if I do.

        Liked by 1 person

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