Thursday, March 3

Up around 7:30, but skipped my exercises. Hubbie left at 8 a.m. to go to a Master Gardener training session, and after breakfast, I debated (once again) what to wear to a lunch date with friends. I thought I had it all figured out, but when I stuck my head out the door, I noticed it was quite chilly. So I tried on various things that might work, and settled on a pink turtleneck shirt with a pink hoodie. Within minutes, I began sweating. So I reverted to my original choice of clothes.

Mother came over just as I was finished dressing. Our lunch date was for 11:10, but just before we left the house, Shih Tzu indicated she needed to go out. As I was bringing her back in, the male cat dashed out, which necessitated my coaxing him to let me pick him up and bring him back in. I tossed him in the bathroom and shut the door to keep him from dashing out again when Mother and I left.

I was already put out with that cat, because as I was having my breakfast, he jumped on the kitchen counter and proceeded to chow down on Shih Tzu's lunch, which Hubbie had prepared before he left.

It was a frustrating morning, and I was nearly pooped before Mother and I finally got out the door.

We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before our friends. The waitress told us to choose any table we wanted, so we selected one closest to the back entrance, so Mother wouldn't have to walk far to the car. Only thing was, the tables are so tall that Mother's chin practically rested on the edge. So we folded her jacket and my sweater for her to sit on, but it didn't help much.

So the waitress suggested we move to one of the long tables, which are not as high as the small tables. Mother still needed the folded jacket and sweater to sit on, but she was more comfortable here.

Just as the waitress had served our water and brought us a basket of the restaurant's melt-in-your-mouth rolls, our friends arrived. They started to sit at another table until they spied us. They indicated they wanted us to sit where they were, because the table featured red cloth napkins in honor of Mother's birthday. So we started to get up and accommodate, but the waitress said it'd be easier for her to move the napkins than to move the water glasses and rolls and us to the other table.

So our friends joined us at our table. They had brought along a gift and card for Mother...a tin of scent, a bar of scented soap, and sachets, from the local greeting card and gift shop. One friend, who is cleaning closets in anticipation of moving, also brought a bag of crafting items and fabrics.

For lunch, Mother chose a turkey wrap and fruit, while I had the tropical salad plate that included two scoops of chicken salad served on a pineapple shell, with fruits of grapes, pineapple, honey dew melon, cantaloupe, strawberries, and kiwi. It was a very pretty presentation.

We were only able to eat half of our food, though, so we brought the other half home to be added to tomorrow's lunch.

Funny: one of the ladies, whose husband has always insisted that she get receipts for any money she spends said today that he has eased up a bit, telling her she now needs only get receipts on expenditures over $5.

The other lady came back with the story that her niece, who has married a very wealthy man, has told her that if she plans to spend anything over $5,000, she should consult him. Hm-m-m. That's certainly two ends of a spectrum!

Back home, Mother went to her house to change into comfortable clothes so she could put together a meatloaf while Hubbie and I ran errands. We went to a couple of grocery stores, a pharmacy, and to the WDCS, to get supplies for the weekend.

When we got back, we found Sis had arrived, and she and Mother were working on the jigsaw puzzle, which they finished. They started another one, while I baked a lemon cake for Mother's birthday tomorrow.

In the meantime, Hubbie went in search of wild daffodils along the road on the west side of our house. There are many patches of the flowers there, near pastures and vacant lots. He cut a large bunch, which I arranged in a white teapot, and placed on a blue tablecloth that I'd ironed earlier. So pretty and spring-like.

The mail today brought a package for Mother from Hubbie's sister that contained stickers and other cute elements for making greeting cards. Mother was very pleased. She also got a couple more birthday cards and a letter from friends.

Our supper of meatloaf, with leftover steamed veggies was very good. Mother, Sis, and I worked on the jigsaw puzzle for a while after supper, and then they went to her house around 7:30.

Hubbie and I watched the 1994, R-rated movie, "Blown Away," starring Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, Suzy Amis, Lloyd Bridges, and Forest Whitaker. A cop (Bridges) on the Boston Police Department bomb squad tries to thwart a mad Irish bomber (Jones). Both have a history with the Irish Republican Army.