What a day! We went this way and that way and then this way!
First we jumped in the car and headed to Newport to meet up with Amy at her latest eye doctor’s appointment. We got there a little early, and Mary found the bakery, and we had breakfast on the run.
From Newport, we went home for a bit before going to Mary’s art class. I returned home to fix some of the remaining night lights for the garden and stopped by Trader Joe’s for a supply of “Four Buck Chuck!”; yes, kids, the $2 is now $4!
At 2:30 pm, I returned to the Tustin Seniors Center and retrieved her nibs from class. Today, we did peaches!
They looked so real that after five minutes, they got visitors!
After returning home, we freshened up and headed over to the Elks for Lee’s initiation. That’s right — she officially became an Elk this evening. Antlers pending.
Every Tuesday, the Elks Lodge served tacos with the solemnity of a state dinner and the organization of a barn dance.
This week, Bill Capps, the lodge treasurer, was in charge of toppings, a decision everyone regretted immediately. He labeled the sour cream “white guacamole,” the lettuce “taco confetti,” and the jalapeños “tiny green regrets.”
By 6:30 p,, the line stretched past the pool table. Lee asked for “mild,” and Bill gave her a taco that made her glasses fog and her earrings sweat.
Then the lodge president rang the bingo bell and announced a taco-eating contest. The prize was a commemorative spatula and two coupons for windshield wiper fluid. Competition was fierce until our friend’s Chihuahua, Napoleon, escaped her purse and sprinted across the table, stealing the winning taco from Bill.
Mary, showing remarkable restraint, had only an artichoke… plus a suspiciously generous portion of my beans and rice, which mysteriously disappeared whenever I looked away. An investigation is ongoing.
Lee arrived a little later, had dinner, and we all visited with friends. BillCapps joined us this evening as he is an officer and joins the meetings.
Dinner be served!!
At 7:00 pm, we were called into the Lodge Room, and things took a serious turn. The initiation took about two and a half hours, and we were all ready to go straight home afterward.
The ceremony was about to start!
Arriving home, we checked on Grace, who was doing just fine and clearly did not need our supervision.
No TV tonight — the evening’s entertainment was Mary crashing immediately, like someone had pulled her power cord.
I stayed awake for Lee’s “safe arrival” call after her hour-long drive home, performing my very important role as Chief Worrier and Phone Watcher.
