Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
We were up at O-dark-thirty, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to spend a wonderful day together. We had no plans until 6:00 pm, so the day was open to work together in the yard, a task we both enjoy.
Mary received lots of calls, messages, and cards, which made her very happy—and kept her phone buzzing like it was trying to launch into orbit.
I had planned to have a special surprise waiting for her this morning, but Amazon failed me. Apparently, “two-day shipping” now means “whenever we feel emotionally ready.” Her surprise won’t arrive until Wednesday!
Mary mentioned to me she wanted to re-read “Little Women” but she had to give her book away back in the 90s when she moved into a small home. So, I went online immediately and ordered a beautiful unabridged 150th Anniversary Edition with 200 original illustrations and a Foreword by Alice L. George entitled ‘Why Little Women Endures 150 Years Later.’ Alas, Amazon notified me they had to delay shipment until Wednesday!
After our caffeine fix, we hit up Home Depot for garden gadgets, then swung by the market to snag some “real” champagne for the kids when they arrive this afternoon—because nothing says “party” like pretending we’re fancy.
While at Home Depot, we ran into Mr. Strawberry, a young man who sells strawberries by the flat. This year, his price was $25/flat—five dollars more than last year—yet they looked so good, we couldn’t resist.
Not only did they look good, but they were also delicious!
On the way home, we dropped off baskets of strawberries to Geri and then to Fred, our neighbors, because there was no way we could eat them all before they went bad—unless we wanted to turn into strawberries ourselves.
The doorbell rang, and Mary’s friend Bonnie* sent her flowers and a chocolate bar. Thank you, Bonnie—the flowers are beautiful. As for the chocolate bar, Mary has hidden it from me, which I can only assume means it was very expensive and needs protection.
*Bonnie is Mary’s college roommate’s daughter.
Dr. Mary enjoyed her gifts from Bonnie!
Bob and Robin spent the morning with the Dudas in Whittier and planned to visit us around 4:00 pm to enjoy champagne before heading to dinner at Renata’s Italian Restaurant at the Orange Traffic Circle.
Robin and Bob brought flowers, a card, and a near lantern! When they showed up, we were on the bat phone with Colleen, followed by a quick bat phone call to Pete (Lisa was on her way home from work, so we missed her).
Mary got an amazing frog that lights up and displays patterns all around; it was a lantern, which I am sure will be used often!
Then it was off to Renata’s, where we arrived at 5:58 pm—precisely on time, because apparently we are now the kind of people who respect clocks. Bob and Donna were already there, bravely leading the charge with a glass of vino in hand, proving once again that punctuality is important, but priorities are sacred.
Ready to chow down!
Donna and Bob brought Mary a ceramic “frog planter” already stuffed with plants from Donna’s garden. This will be a beautiful addition to our patio.
Wine is poured, and stories are swapped. Having Mother’s Day with these people is a long-standing tradition that we totally look forward to and enjoy!
We sat and giggled for hours, enjoying a delightful dinner and sharing the latest gossip!
Bob and I thought it was a Christmas celebration with our red-and-green shirts!
Hey, at least we wore shirts!
We had a wonderful dinner, and it was dark when we left for home, which is only four miles away, straight up Chapman to the mountain and a left turn at Cannon. Bob drove as the Silver Fox was still airing out after carrying bags of fertilizer and soil home from Home Depot. I’ll bet Lexus didn’t know they built pickup sedans!
When the kids departed for home, we went VFR to bed. No TV, and we did not pass “Go” nor did we collect $200. We were tired from this day’s work and just crashed.
