Upon considering meatloaf

Reeder’s is a service station located at 21st and Lewis Avenue in Tulsa, just a few blocks from my home. Reeders full-service pumps equals their self-service pumps and they have chefs and a kitchen that have redefined “gas station food”.

I’d been trying to put together a Just Thinkin’ for the first week of the New Year. Stymied, I decided to look on Facebook and check Reeder’s menu for the day. I found a meatloaf sandwich with a generous side of potato salad.

“Shazam!!” It hit me. Meatloaf rather described 2023 around our place. A core of good to questionable meats, little of this, a little of that, then throw it all together in a pan, toss it in the oven and a quite tasty dish emerges.

Now meatloaf isn’t like lunch meat but there can be a lot of what is just lying about. I enjoy meatloaf but I know not all meatloaf is the same. Billies meatloaf and my Mother’s meatloaf are different. I enjoyed both. They were each special though distinctive. I don’t have such positive memories of my Mema McBride’s meatloaf. But Mema immigrated from Scotland when she was 16. Mutton was the meat she remembered and mutton was always boiled.

Now, I don’t know that she ever boiled the meat that she put in her meatloaf but it wasn’t like my Mother’s meatloaf. And I do know she boiled her chili meat. There is a reason we don’t have Scottish food restaurants.

As I pulled into Reeder’s is was impossible not to notice the buzz in a full-service lane. It seemed a number of men, the very professional appearing full-service attendants with a sprinkling of “coat and tie guys”, hovering around a smallish two door cherry red car. The hood was raised and a clear degree of excitement emitted from the gathering. There was considerable “oohing and ahhing.”

If they had been women I’d have said, “They are all atwitter”.

The only reason I didn’t join in was, anticipating I’d have no reason to get out of my car, I had left my walker in our garage.

The car you asked. I was told it was 2023 Jaguar F-type, SVR.

The owner started the vehicle. I don’t really know about such things, but I’ll guarantee you it wasn’t meatloaf.

I got our meatloaf sandwich and drove home. My car can purr but not like that.

Oh, well, 2023, while a meatloaf kind of year, the end product for me and mine was marked by great progress. Thank you, Lord.

While some will be better than others, there is no bad meatloaf.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.

– Mother Teresa

Hal McBride writes a column, Just Thinkin’, published each week.