best laid plans

I had a taste for a specific meal today

   I am food oriented.  Something Corki has picked up on and maybe even adopted.  She will sit and stare at my plate.  If it is empty, she will turn and stare at Jackie's plate.  Corki never tries to eat off the plates, she just stares at them.
   I cooked Italian beans for supper.  Her bowl was full of dog food from this morning.  I made a big show of putting a couple of beans in her bowl and she gobbled all the food down within minutes.  Yes, the queen is spoiled.
   Anyway, we had some roast beef frozen from a previous meal.  And we had a half of a jar of beef gravy in the fridge.  I do not know how old it was.
   I pictured a delicious meal of mashed potatoes, beef gravy, beans, and beef. I woke up tasting it and all day long I could see it,  could smell it.  Even now, the thought of it makes my mouth water.
   At coffee hour at church I had half a doughnut.  I had three pieces of cheese, five crackers and a Halo for lunch.
   I was saving room for supper, a meal I had been dreaming about since going to bed last night.    I was drooling.  My stomach was growling.  My wine was poured. I was ready.
   I opened the gravy and found some white fuzz floating on the top.  Not a lot, just a little.  And just enough to make me wary of slathering it over my beef and mashed potatoes.  Well, to be honest, I was going to use it but Jackie said to throw it out.  Four times.  I thought I could just spoon out the white fuzz, but she said throw it out.  Four times.  Just want to emphasize that even after three, I was still tempted.
   So I threw it out.
   It was too late to drive into town for a jar of gravy, supper was ready and it is wasteful to drive to the store just for that.
   My dream meal turned into an ok meal.
   But I know I am going to buy a jar of beef gravy to have on hand, just in case.
   Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me for not checking the gravy supple.