|
navigation
current
archives
links page
profile
|
|
birthday week
October 10, 2018, 8:09 P.M.
I was off work the 3rd through the 9th, and boy, did I ever need it. I tried to make the days I could control (Friday, Saturday and Sunday were his) a judicious mix of laziness and happy, puttering productivity, and I think I managed it. I started Wednesday with a little pampering: fresh-ground, fresh-brewed (pour-over) organic mountain blend coffee, and a nice breakfast. A puffy omelet filled with gouda and cherrywood-smoked bacon and accompanied by sourdough toast. Yummy!
I also gave myself a pampering of a homemade salt-scrub exfoliation of my hands and arms--lemon, olive oil, and sea salt. It was a bare-feet day, hot and sunny and I had nowhere I had to be. So later on, I gave myself a manicure, and spent some time with a book and a cup of tea.
I made a very nice, old-fashioned "comfort" dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas, and a small apple crisp. I also did a load of laundry, but I wasn't really focusing on the housekeeping, just my own well-being. It was lovely--even if it did get up to almost 90 on October 3rd!
Thursday was both productive and lazy, too--shaved my legs, did all the laundry, did a little housework, but also relaxed and spent time with my pens and read and played on the computer/phone. Packed my bag, dropped B at the vet, and dinner was leftover meatloaf, with baked potato & green beans (low effort, easy clean-up, and ate up the leftovers). Helped Spouse pack, and went to bed early-ish.
Friday was busy--up early, and ready to go. Went out to Enterprise and picked up the rental (Hyundai Elantra; very comfortable, very cheap, and good gas mileage) and came home to load it and lock up.
We stopped at Meli in Racine for breakfast; we've been wanting to try it, but they are mobbed on the weekends so Friday was our chance. It was marvelous; as soon as we sat down they brought us loukoumades, the coffee was wonderful, the breakfasts were fast, hop, and top-quality, and the price was very good for what we got. We were extremely well-fueled for the trip north.
We avoided the inerstate until we got up by the airport, stopped at the Kwik-Trip for potty and a bottle of water for the road, and headed out in earnest.
Our next stop was a quick rest stop, then we hit Appleton, and the pen store. It was rainy off and on, all the way up, and Appleton was a heavy mist. The store was very empty--of people and of merchandise, as it is whenever I get to go there for my birthday. They pack up a large percentage of the place and take it to Colorado for the pen show.
but I didn't mind, since I wasn't really shopping for a pen. After deferring my ink shopping when I visited the Chicago store (because I bought the VP instead), I was ready to explore some new shades. I only bought one full bottle, though--and it was marked down. I found some interesting samples I want to try, and just because I apparently HAVE to buy a pen when I go to Anderson's--I got my first Preppy.
After spending about thirty minutes and thirty bucks (while Spouse located and utilized a public restroom), we hit the highway once more, letting the GPS take us a better way back to the main road. The rental had a Sirius XM free trial on the radio, so we aimed the car at Crivitz, tuned in the Tom Petty station, and finished the trip.
The GPS took us right to them, although we weren't sure which house in the cul-de-sac was theirs at first. But Spouse's cousin S came out and waved us in.
It was great to see S and K again, and to check out their lovely house in the woods. They both have serious health issues, so they have limited mobility, so we visited the late afternoon away at the house, and then took a ride out to a little supper club for dinner. The food is good and it's cheap up there in the woods! Drinks, dinner, and tip for four people came in around $75.00.
We hit a couple of local watering holes to get a feel for the area (Baumeister's Root Beer is the bomb!), and then finished the day chatting into the wee smalls, and hit the hay in their comfortable upstairs guest room. They have a downstairs suite as well, but we stayed upstairs so as to make things easier--K has crippling RA and I didn't think she needed to make a trip up and down the stairs to clean the bedroom & bath up after us. Spouse and I did okay on the small bed--it was very comfortable and we have lost about 100 pounds between us over the past couple years, so we are smaller and we don't snore as much,LOL.
Saturday we got up and K make a nice breakfast casserole and my kind of coffee--good beans, fresh-ground, decent strength, and served with half and half.
After breakfast, I emptied and reloaded the dishwasher so K could stay off her feet, and we had a lovely chat. She is such a doll, and so much fun. Great outlook on life, despite some hellish crap to deal with. She reminds me sooo, much of Spouse's aunt J--if anyone ever "married his mother", S did!
After breakfast we all got ready and we took a car trip around the area. My favorite was the Amish country store in Oconto, which is a baker's paradise! I got some fresh spice items I needed, vanilla and almond extracts, and Instant Clear-Jel pie thickener for amazing low prices. I also got a jar of their proprietary lavender face and body butter, some small honeycrisps at $1.50/lb, and a one-pound block of their homemade caramel. I am frankly in love with Brubakers, to be honest. K hyped the place, but dang if it didn't live up to it!
We also visited Pelkin's in Crivitz, for some of their amazing summer sausage, meat sticks, and jerkey, and The Candy Bar in Marinette for things none of us needed, but oh, we wanted! That's where the universe smacked me with the best unexpected birthday surprise since I found my sunglasses in the park--cherry sours candy. More on that later.
Spouse had them stop at Harbor Freight and he bought me the thermometer I've been wanting, then we got to talking about the Upper Peninsula, and how I've never been there. So S decided to remedy that, and we took a drive up through Menominee to Iron Mountain. It is undeniably beautiful country, but too back of beyond for me, I'm afraid.
We stopped at the grocery store in Iron Mountain for a few things, and K decided she had to buy us a birthday cake. I wasn't feeling it, but she insisted, so I went with it.
On the way back to their house, S took us to see a beautiful waterfall near their house, and I got some good photos, despite it being nearly dark. K stayed in the car, since she was having a rough day with her feet, and the walk down would have been impossible.
We stopped for dinner at yet another local bar/supper club, and I had their beer, cheese, & bacon soup, and split an appetizer assortment with Spouse, who had a BLT. Everything was very delicious, and, once again, very cheap! (we picked up the checks for both dinners and the candy store, to reciprocate for their hospitality).
We settled in to watch a movie (Kingsman: The Secret Service) back at the house, because they are night-owls, but Spouse kept dozing off and finally apologized and went to bed. I kind of enjoyed it, because hey, Colin Firth! I had my issues with it, but kept them quiet.
(I don't like the not-so-subtle subtext of liberal villains and conservative heroes, and I am too old for all of the freeze-frame, jump-cut, CGI crap in modern action movies.)
We got up on Sunday and had birthday cake and raspberry kringle for breakfast, and visited for a while before getting cleaned up, packed up, and on our way. Drove home in the rain, stopped by the airport to fill back up and pee, then dropped the baggage at home and dropped the rental off right away. Spouse ordered pizza for dinner, since he had a free one coming for his birthday, from our favorite pizza joint in town. Birthday cards from Dad in the mailbox, and a phone call from the Phoenix relations while we were waiting for the pizza. After dinner, Spouse crashed early since he had to be at work on Monday.
Birthday swag:
Present to the house: the new cooktop
Present to Spouse: Northern WI weekend with his cousin, instead of a weekend with my brother as originally planned. I basically cancelled on my brother so I could do nothing, because I was exhausted and anxiety-riddled and near-suicidal. And then ended up going somewhere to make Spouse happy. So I'm calling that his gift.
Present from me to me: Anderson Pens shopping. A bottle of Diamine Misty Blue that was on clearance, a few samples, mostly top-shelf: Sailor Jentle Apricot, Bungubox Sweet Potato, and Iroshizuku Ama-iro and Chiku-Rin...plus Monteverde Mandarin Orange. Plus the Platinum Preppy (purple, fine nib), and an international converter off the clearance table for two bucks.
Present from Spouse to me: Infra-red laser thermometer for the kitchen.
Present from the universe to me: In a little candy shop in Marinette, I found a fabled, favorite, lost candy of my childhood. REGAL CROWN CHERRY SOURS. They were $1.89 a roll, and I bought four. Every bit as tasty as I remembered them. I think they were resurrected by one of those companies that brings back old candies, but they are sourcing them out of England, so they are actually made correctly and quite good.
Frankly--I've had worse birthdays!
Monday, I got up and made myself a pot of the good stuff, then had a bowl of cereal before getting ready to go out. A quick trip to the grocery store, and then time pick up the B. He was so relieved to be sprung that he made a beeline for the door, barely acknowledging that the leash changed hands. Good thing I'd already paid and picked up his stuff!
We stopped at McD's for his ceremonial hash brown patty, and headed home. He pottied, ate, drank, took a nap...and gave me some love, in that order. I did some laundry and was lazy, then made sloppy joes, fries, and a tossed salad for dinner. Oh, and I made a miniature raspberry pie, because I wanted to try out the clear-jel. It is as awesome as I had heard for thickening pie!
Tuesday, I decided I needed to get some stuff done, so I finished all the laundry, cleaned out the fridge, swept the kitchen, vacuumed the carpets, emptied the wastebaskets, made caramel apples, cleaned up the mess, got cleaned up and dressed, and went to the gas station to fill up the Impala, Costco for my prescription, Walgreens for my flu shot, Meijer for a few things I needed, and Wendy's drive-thru for some lunch. And when I got home, I dyed my hair and gave myself a manicure.
Which I then proceeded to demolish when I made dinner...da-da-DAAAAA!!
I brined, breaded and fried a chicken. And it was A) fabulous and B) a huge freaking mess on the stove.
But Spouse was so enamored of it that he ate four and a half pieces, and CLEANED THE COOKTOP.
While I cleaned up the rest of the mess and took out the trash, that is.
Well, that's my week off. Now I'm back to the hellish hell of hellfire known as work.
Reading:
"Round the Corner in Gay Street," (1907), by Grace S. Richmond. A re-read I felt like I was in the mood for. Still dipping in and out of "The Pool of Stars" (1919), by Cornelia Meigs.
Listening: Finding it very hard to give my attention to the music, if I even remember to turn it on. So I mostly don't.
Inked Up: Last week while I was off, I made it a point to spend some time cleaning, swapping out, and re-inking my pens. Inked up four, and then a few days later when I went to Appleton, I was kicking myself because I bought a bunch of new inks to try, but can't because I have a full lineup! Pilot VP medium with Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue, Bexley 10th Anniversary custom italic with R&K Solferino, Jin-Hao X750 medium with R&K Blu Mare, Conklin Duragraph fine with Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown.
|
|