Sunday in the park with her
May 15, 2006,

I had an emotionally exhausting weekend. First of all, putting up with Spouse from Friday afternoon till Monday morning is more than I can cope with anymore.

Secondly, I had to spend yesterday with him--and his mother.

Spouse came home and lay down for a while, as going from second on Thursday to first on Friday had left him a bit drained. I tried to nap, but couldn't really manage it. I watched Bill Kurtis for a while, till it was time to get cleaned up and dressed for dinner.

We went to Chops, which was quite up to scratch. Great food & wine, great service, everyone very friendly, and the owner came up to chat, as usual. I really enjoy going there.

Because Spouse was still feeling wiped out, we just went back home after and got comfy. I relaxed for a while, did a little laundry, and hit the sack.

I picked up another pair of athletic shoes at Meijer (try try again--those last Nikes were a sore disapointment). Reebok brought back the old "Princess" line, ultra plain and ultra comfortable. They had a 9 wide, and they were under forty bucks, so I went for it. My Avias are to the point where they are failing to do the job, even with two different pairs of retro-fitted pads. I finally consigned my ancient and venerable Nikes to the curb last week, as they had reached the point of no return, funk-wise. I'll probably give that nearly new pair of Nikes to Niece, if she can wear them.

Spouse splurged on new trunks. Wild Hawaiian print in green and yellow. The ugliest damn things I've ever seen, but he likes them.

Once we finished there, we popped over to Borders because I needed a book on Excel(fucking retarded app). I picked one up, and then went browsing through the DVDs. And found one I wanted! "The Philadelphia Story". One of my all time favorites, and every time I catch it on TCM, I wonder why I don't own it. Well, now I do.

Inspired by my decision to go classic, Spouse picked up "Angels With Dirty Faces" and "Little Ceasar".

I made a quick decision to go with an apple as a pick-me-up, rather than a Mocha from Seattle's Best, and we left Borders and headed for the border.

We stopped at the drugstore and the deli on the way, and finally landed back at home. It took me quite a while to get all my shopping put away, and I was pooped by the time I was done. I made tomato soup and ham sanwiches for lunch, and barely had the energy to rinse the saucepan.

So we all went down for a nap, and I was out for a couple hours. It felt good, but I had to get up and start dinner around 4:30. Lasagna takes a while. It came out pretty decently, though.

I cleaned up the kitchen, and did a bit more laundry, but I was in bed before ten.

Due to the horrible raininess of the last week, it was much too wet to work in the yard as Spouse had planned, and entertain her by letting her plant stuff.
So we had to come up with a plan B.

We ended up taking her to the "Garden in a City" Garden Show in Grant Park. Which was, at least, something I could enjoy. It was an indoor garden show, so it was ideal for the predicted cold and rain. We were fortunate in that department, however--the Sun came out and shone brightly on us. And the whole day sparkled with the freshness of spring. I would have had a blast if it wasn't for having to watch her like a hawk. It certainly wouldn't do to lose track of "The Happy Wanderer" in downtown Chi.

This event bills itself as the nation's ony urban garden show, and all the exhibits showcased the typical small spaces people have to garden in in a big city. It was just amazing, the ideas we saw. And what did me a world of good was the wine company conducting personalized wine tastings. Screw spit buckets. I downed some very good quality whites, which was delightful. And it took the edge off, which was also delightful.

After we took in the beautiful exhibition gardens on display, we walked around downtown, strolling down state to that most wonderful hole-in-the-wall, Garrett Popcorn Shop, at Madison & State. Long lines out the door, and rudley imperious clerks, but but a heavenly ambrosia they call CaramelCrisp®. Which the rest of us call the world's best caramel corn. Think of the Soup Nazi. Selling caramel corn. Exactly this place.

One we'd walked back to the car, we headed out toward the suburbs, trying to figure out a good place for lunch. We ended up at George's What's Cookin' in Northbrook. Not a fancy place, but a very good restaurant for quality and value. Spouse and I had their roast turkey Sunday dinner, and his mother had a breakfast. They started us out with a fabulous cream of chicken-rice soup, and no measly little soup cup, either. A large and overflowing bowl. With a huge basket of fresh bagels, brioche, onion rolls, and challah. That right there would have been the perfect lunch, and damn the entree. But the main course, she came.

I ordered the petite entree, and Spouse ordered the regular, but the only difference I could see was the size of the plate itself. We both got enough food to feed a family of 4. About 12 ounces of real turkey breast, cranberry sauce, real mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, sage stuffing, baked yams in a citrus glaze, and (fresh!)green beans almondine. A meal worthy of Thanksgiving day. And the owner came around and gave us free hoemmade bread pudding to try.

As for his mom, it was kind of funny to see that anorexic's face when they brought her 5 strips of bacon and 3 eggs. And hashbrowns. And pancakes! Still, she ate pretty well, and took her leftovers home.

Spouse and I took home enough leftovers to have dined like champions at suppertime. Unfortunately, they didn't make it home. When we dropped his mom off, JR cadged them. He was sick with a bad cold, but hungry.

Now, I've been feeding that man, and taking care of him when he was sick, since he was in grade school. So it didn't bother me. Even though I'd dropped off a huge hunk of homemade lasagna for him earlier in the day.

And gone to the drugstore for him, and to the grocery store for him. Yes, he's nearly as spoiled as his big brother. But JR has always been my baby. I have a heck of a hard time saying no to him.

Anyway, it didn't matter. Neither Spouse nor I were really hungry last night.

I managed to finish the laundry, and puttered around getting all my crap ready for work on Monday. Laid out my clothes, set up the coffeemaker, and packed up all my possessions. No small matter, with all the stuff I needed to haul with me today.

I really need to get a case, if I'm going to be schlepping work back and forth from the office. I love my tote bags, but I'd like something sleeker for work. Maybe I'll go shopping after work tomorrow, and see if I can find something.

I don't particularly want to go home, anyway. Because third of all? Spouse called today and informed me that he would be working days for the rest of the week. So now when I get off work, I have to scrape up the energy to cook, and do dishes, and deal with him.