Mothers Day

Friday was Mother's birthday (Vicki's mom ... when I use the term "Mother" as a proper name, I'm typically referring to her. Mom refers to my mom, typically, unless it's clear by context.)

Anyway, Mother turned 90 Friday, and Vicki wanted to do something special so we went to Churchill's. Churchill's is probably the finest restaurant in Columbia. There may be one or two with as good food and service, but this all that with a traditional formal atmosphere.

Brian and Kristin and Kevin and his new girlfriend Marken were there. It was our first time meeting Marken.

Let me just say that she won't have any trouble keeping up. :-)

She and Brian were ribbing each other all through dinner in contrast to the live harp music in the background. It was a great dinner. I hope Mother enjoyed it. I think she did. We all had a good time.

Marken reminds me of the kind of friends our family had growing up. She's very cute, a real people person, a pitcher-inner, and a chronic joker. There aren't too many people I have to really pay attention to to keep up. And she slipped a few by me as well.

Kevin brought his Guitar Hero game with his Hendrix and Les Paul fake guitar controllers and set it up. I never was any good at that game. It's not really like playing the guitar at all. But it does look like fun. If you're not keeping up the instruments and the song start to go off key and get out of synch.... pretty funny.

Saturday Kristin, Brian, and I went out to Strawberry Hill Farms and bought a bunch of vegetable and flowering plants. Then Kristin had to work, and Brian went back to work. Nana Vicki babysat Trenton. And of course I couldn't let her have all the fun after I got back from Strawberry Hill. So when he wasn't napping I played with him. Actually, I was trying to get a few things done while he was napping and completely forgot he was in our room and woke him up. Bad me.

We headed over to Brian and Kristin's saturday evening for a visit and so everyone could see their new place. Kevin and Brian and I started putting their new grill together, but when we got to the part where you "punch" out the parts so you can attach the side smoker box... let's just say they wouldn't "punch". "Dent" would be a much better description. I ran home and got my drill, rubber mallett, and dremmel tool with cutter wheel. Drilled the holes, and started to cut the eye-shaped hole for the box with the dremmel, but the dremmel crapped out. I think the brushes wore out. It was their time, I guess. Couldn't have picked the next day, could it?

So we were stuck. Kevin and Marken went to meet Ken for dinner. Eventually we went home.

Because Mothers Day there were plans to go over there in the morning and do brunch. I mixed up the separate wet and dry waffle ingredients the night before. We got sausages. And eggs. And I got 3 dusty rose roses to represent each mother.

Only I didn't have a vase.

Fortunately, I happen to be Martha Stewart's red-necked cousin Marvin. Marvin Stewart, yessir. I got a clear beer bottle ... Landshark Lager ... and peeled the labels off and cleaned it. Then went to the closet and got some red cellophane-type wrapping "paper" ... kind of transparent, but not too transparent, and wrapped the beer bottle loosely in it with the edges frayed out near the top of the bottle and a red rubber band to hold it all in. I thought it looked pretty good, and nobody complained.

I'll have a new line at K-Mart by the end of the year.

We decended upon their house about 10:45 am and Brian and I took over the kitchen duties, occasionally shooing Kristin and Vicki away. Cooked the sausages, whipped up the scrambled eggs, mixed up the waffle stuff and started cranking waffles out. And we all got to sit down at pretty much the same time. It was a nice breakfast.

Marken and Kevin took to cleaning the kitchen afterwards, occasionally shooing Kristin and Vicki out. They couldn't help themselves.

Brian and I went out with my jigsaw and a metal-cutting blade and cut out the rest of the grill cut out, put the rest of it together, and started some charcoal to "cure" the iron grates and interior of the grill with vegetable oil and heat. The process was to take 4 hours, and they wanted to grill for Grandma Jean for dinner.

I ran around the yard playing airplane with Trenton (Trenton was the airplane), and we looked at leaves and wind chimes and flowers and then I took him for a stroll. After which it was pretty much nap time and Nana Vicki took him and got him to sleep. She's very good at that.

Then Kristin, Marken, and I planted vegetables, but Kevin and Marken needed to get back to St. Louis. So we didn't finish.

Uncharacteristically (and sadly), I didn't get a single picture taken. Too busy, I guess.

We went home, Kevin and Marken left. I suddenly realized I was completely beat. I didn't think I'd worked that hard, but my head and body disagreed. I slept for a couple of hours. Vicki was watching movies downstairs. Mother was checking her emails (She's 90. Checking emails. Cool!)

And I slept like a log that night.

Rode in Monday. Got home. Got the chainsaw out and cut up the tree that fell in Friday Night's storm into chimnea sized pieces.

Tonight Mother took us to dinner for her last night here. Brian's taking her back home tomorrow.