VACATION COUNTDOWN: 19 days!!!!!!!!!!!
So much was going on Sunday I had to actually break up into two parts.
That's a Sunday!
After all the less than subtle watch glancing from my mother, I took the hint that it was time to take her back to the grove.
We did.
Took all her veggies to the kitchen.
When the kitchen staff saw the bags of fresh veggies she'd returned with, they exclaimed that it'd take her months to eat all those veggies.
She eats about four bites of salad a night.
Always with her ranch dressing.
On a good night.
But try to tell my mother that four peppers can go a long way with one person, and all you'll get is the infamous Janet-stink-eye.
So I just buy the peppers.
And keep my mouth shut.
The two block sojourn with Mum was great for her.
A tease for me.
After we'd taken her back to the nursing home, made certain she was signed back in, settled, and on her way to dinner, I asked Stephen if he was up to a longer walk.
He certainly was.
Which was good because I was aching for a good, long, leg stretching, heart pumping walk on a glorious sunny day complete with gentle breeze.
Whether Stephen wanted to accompany me or not.
Good thing he wanted to.
It had been a while since we'd spent any alone time together.
Time not interrupted by the daily responsibilities of meeting the needs of the people who reside with us, fielding phone calls, addressing construction chaos, succumbing to the doe eyed entreaties of our capricious canines.
Time to talk about serious things, frivolous things, to laugh at one another's eccentricities.
To feel the river breezes blow gently across our faces, as if, for a short time, it was trying to blow away all our cares and concerns.
For that, we'd need gale force winds, but the thought was nice.
To just enjoy being with one another.
But even the most relaxing, enjoyable promenades with loved ones must compete with the harsh realities of everyday life and being human.
Stephen announced as we made our way to King Street that he was hungry.
And that he wanted to take me out for dinner.
Now, who was I to say no to such a lovely invitation? An invitation that would surely extend our time out together.
At first, we thought we might partake of the outside atmosphere of the Lunar Rogue.
However, there were several other groups of people who shared the same thoughts, so we decided to head further down King to see what was happening at Mexicali Rosa's.
Lunar Rogue has a Simply for Life menu.
Mexi's didn't.
But that didn't stop us from thinking that we could find something on that menu that would meet our dietary needs.
If we could find outside seating.
And we were in luck.
Ushered to seats outside, in the corner.
Just the two of us.
Usually when I enjoy the fare at Mexi's I treat myself to a Corona and a chicken chimichanga.
I love the chicken chimi.
Deep fried tortilla stuffed with chicken, mushrooms, some sort of creamy sauce.
On the outside, cheese and a renello sauce.
Rice and beans, with salad on the side.
In spite of the loud voices in my head calling me, begging me to enjoy the mouthwatering flavours of the chicken chimi, I resisted.
And instead dined on the grilled vegetable quesadilla with a side salad.
A diet Pepsi replaced much desired Corona with lime.
Stephen had the anything-but-chicken burrito.
It wasn't called anything-but-chicken in the menu.
Just in Stephen's head.
Because he wanted anything-but-chicken.
Beef it was.
Huge, tender pieces of beef wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla covered with just a smattering of some red, hot sauce.
Also with a salad.
And a Canadian.
On tap.
I wish I was six foot four and could savour the odd treat.
After dinner, we decided to take another walk.
I was doing everything I could possibly think of, that was legal in a public place anyway, to keep the day from ending.
We wandered over to the old cemetery, walked through it to George Street, onward to Charlotte and around to York.
And I could have kept going for hours had the everyday urges of human life not interrupted.
Again.
Stephen was in desperate need for a bathroom.
We stopped at King's Place where we cut through Second Cup and headed for the bathroom.
The wonderful thing about Fredericton is that it's small enough that you can run into people who no longer live in Fredericton, who are visiting, just as you are walking out of King's Place.
And we did.
Someone I knew from my second round of undergraduate studies in the nineties.
The difference from then to now?
He is accompanied by his wife and adorable child.
I am accompanied by Stephen.
And there was a dog.
A three year old and a dog??????
I didn't know who to turn to first.
Catching up was very nice.
Next time you're in town, let me know.
We'll share academic horror stories.
Eventually, Stephen voiced that he was feeling the urge to return home.
The umbilical canine cord tugging a bit harder, a bit longer with every minute we were out.
Me still not wanting to end the magic of the moment.
In spite of my love for my canine compadres.
Adult responsibility won out over teenage desires to stay out just a little longer and we found ourselves back at our car, which was waiting for us, chock full of fresh veggies from the Big Potato and clothes from Jinglers.
Home again, home again jiggity jig.
Happy puppies cavorting at our feet, dancing with delight that we'd returned home and released them from their forced captivity.
And back to the realities of putting purchases away, running the dishwasher, and waiting for phone calls to announce that the kids were finished work.
But our few hours of escape were wonderful and worth holding on to during those days where escaping the real world feels as likely as winning the lottery.
Title Lyric: Lose Yourself by Eminem
Whether Stephen wanted to accompany me or not.
Good thing he wanted to.
It had been a while since we'd spent any alone time together.
Time not interrupted by the daily responsibilities of meeting the needs of the people who reside with us, fielding phone calls, addressing construction chaos, succumbing to the doe eyed entreaties of our capricious canines.
Time to talk about serious things, frivolous things, to laugh at one another's eccentricities.
To feel the river breezes blow gently across our faces, as if, for a short time, it was trying to blow away all our cares and concerns.
For that, we'd need gale force winds, but the thought was nice.
To just enjoy being with one another.
But even the most relaxing, enjoyable promenades with loved ones must compete with the harsh realities of everyday life and being human.
Stephen announced as we made our way to King Street that he was hungry.
And that he wanted to take me out for dinner.
Now, who was I to say no to such a lovely invitation? An invitation that would surely extend our time out together.
At first, we thought we might partake of the outside atmosphere of the Lunar Rogue.
However, there were several other groups of people who shared the same thoughts, so we decided to head further down King to see what was happening at Mexicali Rosa's.
Lunar Rogue has a Simply for Life menu.
Mexi's didn't.
But that didn't stop us from thinking that we could find something on that menu that would meet our dietary needs.
If we could find outside seating.
And we were in luck.
Ushered to seats outside, in the corner.
Just the two of us.
Usually when I enjoy the fare at Mexi's I treat myself to a Corona and a chicken chimichanga.
I love the chicken chimi.
Deep fried tortilla stuffed with chicken, mushrooms, some sort of creamy sauce.
On the outside, cheese and a renello sauce.
Rice and beans, with salad on the side.
In spite of the loud voices in my head calling me, begging me to enjoy the mouthwatering flavours of the chicken chimi, I resisted.
And instead dined on the grilled vegetable quesadilla with a side salad.
A diet Pepsi replaced much desired Corona with lime.
Stephen had the anything-but-chicken burrito.
It wasn't called anything-but-chicken in the menu.
Just in Stephen's head.
Because he wanted anything-but-chicken.
Beef it was.
Huge, tender pieces of beef wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla covered with just a smattering of some red, hot sauce.
Also with a salad.
And a Canadian.
On tap.
I wish I was six foot four and could savour the odd treat.
After dinner, we decided to take another walk.
I was doing everything I could possibly think of, that was legal in a public place anyway, to keep the day from ending.
We wandered over to the old cemetery, walked through it to George Street, onward to Charlotte and around to York.
And I could have kept going for hours had the everyday urges of human life not interrupted.
Again.
Stephen was in desperate need for a bathroom.
We stopped at King's Place where we cut through Second Cup and headed for the bathroom.
The wonderful thing about Fredericton is that it's small enough that you can run into people who no longer live in Fredericton, who are visiting, just as you are walking out of King's Place.
And we did.
Someone I knew from my second round of undergraduate studies in the nineties.
The difference from then to now?
He is accompanied by his wife and adorable child.
I am accompanied by Stephen.
And there was a dog.
A three year old and a dog??????
I didn't know who to turn to first.
Catching up was very nice.
Next time you're in town, let me know.
We'll share academic horror stories.
Eventually, Stephen voiced that he was feeling the urge to return home.
The umbilical canine cord tugging a bit harder, a bit longer with every minute we were out.
Me still not wanting to end the magic of the moment.
In spite of my love for my canine compadres.
Adult responsibility won out over teenage desires to stay out just a little longer and we found ourselves back at our car, which was waiting for us, chock full of fresh veggies from the Big Potato and clothes from Jinglers.
Home again, home again jiggity jig.
Happy puppies cavorting at our feet, dancing with delight that we'd returned home and released them from their forced captivity.
And back to the realities of putting purchases away, running the dishwasher, and waiting for phone calls to announce that the kids were finished work.
But our few hours of escape were wonderful and worth holding on to during those days where escaping the real world feels as likely as winning the lottery.
Title Lyric: Lose Yourself by Eminem
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