Spring Fling
19/04/15 07:40
We are off and running! Thank you sweet Jesus! We still have a little snow around but it is on the wane as they say. Nancy and I spent a bit of time in downtown Portsmouth last night having a bite to eat and just taking in the night. It's always a pleasure when you start out doing one thing and then you end up doing another. That assumes good things happen and I suppose that isn't always the case but it was last night. Good in the sense that we accomplished that which we were wanting to accomplish. The goal was simple; grab a bite to eat and get out of the house on what promised to be a beautiful spring evening. We started out with our sights set on Turkish food in Newington and ended up having Mexican fare in downtown Portsmouth. We had a couple of other errands to run but that all changed when I inadvertently put too much money in the parking meter when we arrived in Portsmouth.
We had a leisurely coffee in Starbucks, which usually never happens because we typically park in the 15 minute spot outside the store, and that set the pace for the rest of time we were there. Nancy looked around in a few stores, I dallied while she looked, and we ended up eating at Poco's where we hadn't been in a lot of years. The last time we were there they brought chips to the table straight away and you went from there. The calculus, no doubt, was that you would work up a serious thirst munching on salty chips and that would make you want more salt (get me a fucking Marguerita with salt on the rim and fast!) and something to wash it down with (icy cool and alcoholic works well) and if they are smart they keep the chips coming. Not so any more. You want chips, you buy chips. So, we bought chips. And we bought guacamole. And we ordered marguerita's. Well, just one actually. Nothing for me, thank you. And then we ordered some food which we really didn't need anymore but so what. It was Saturday, the night was young, the company and crowds were engaging, and that was that.
One little surprise was that we didn't have Nancy's mom along for the ride. She usually accompanies us on Saturday afternoon and we go here or there and do pretty well whatever damn well pleases us. Sometimes it's just going for a ride. Other times we end up having something to eat. So she called and spoke to Nancy. Something about not joining us since she was out at a local restaurant. Really? Say what, Mrs G? What up, dawg?? Did we just get stood up? Me thinks we did. Well, that changed the entire trajectory of the night or it felt that way anyway. Nancy and I were alone and on our own. It was a different kind of feeling. Not that having her along is a chore since it never is but having a third party in the mix changes the dynamic in any situation. I will say that this last minute change of plans was totally unexpected and left us puzzled, curious, tentative, and maybe a few other things that I'm not recalling as I sit here the morning after. It's wonderful certainly that Nancy's mom is too busy to spend time with us. It's wonderful that she has a circle of acquaintances with whom she does various and sundry things and it's all good. It may not be beyond the pale to think that maybe she has a boyfriend.
Mrs G has mentioned a fella in the past with whom she has exchanged pleasantries and as I recall they had a list of top five things that they had in common. Dining at the Dinnerghorn was one of those top five. I also remember her saying that she ran into him a couple of days later and he didn't remember who she was. Sad, but cute. If they are constantly reinventing their relationship it may be just what the doctor ordered. At 84, Mrs G is doing everything right or so it seems. My only recommendation is that she try to get a little more exercise. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that she is parlaying these relationships into something more formidable and long lasting. There is strength in numbers and it is true that life holds surprises for those willing to live it to the fullest. I suspect Mrs G is doing just that. Pursuing happiness at any cost. Is that not the challenge for each of us while we are on this lovely planet? I think so.
We had a leisurely coffee in Starbucks, which usually never happens because we typically park in the 15 minute spot outside the store, and that set the pace for the rest of time we were there. Nancy looked around in a few stores, I dallied while she looked, and we ended up eating at Poco's where we hadn't been in a lot of years. The last time we were there they brought chips to the table straight away and you went from there. The calculus, no doubt, was that you would work up a serious thirst munching on salty chips and that would make you want more salt (get me a fucking Marguerita with salt on the rim and fast!) and something to wash it down with (icy cool and alcoholic works well) and if they are smart they keep the chips coming. Not so any more. You want chips, you buy chips. So, we bought chips. And we bought guacamole. And we ordered marguerita's. Well, just one actually. Nothing for me, thank you. And then we ordered some food which we really didn't need anymore but so what. It was Saturday, the night was young, the company and crowds were engaging, and that was that.
One little surprise was that we didn't have Nancy's mom along for the ride. She usually accompanies us on Saturday afternoon and we go here or there and do pretty well whatever damn well pleases us. Sometimes it's just going for a ride. Other times we end up having something to eat. So she called and spoke to Nancy. Something about not joining us since she was out at a local restaurant. Really? Say what, Mrs G? What up, dawg?? Did we just get stood up? Me thinks we did. Well, that changed the entire trajectory of the night or it felt that way anyway. Nancy and I were alone and on our own. It was a different kind of feeling. Not that having her along is a chore since it never is but having a third party in the mix changes the dynamic in any situation. I will say that this last minute change of plans was totally unexpected and left us puzzled, curious, tentative, and maybe a few other things that I'm not recalling as I sit here the morning after. It's wonderful certainly that Nancy's mom is too busy to spend time with us. It's wonderful that she has a circle of acquaintances with whom she does various and sundry things and it's all good. It may not be beyond the pale to think that maybe she has a boyfriend.
Mrs G has mentioned a fella in the past with whom she has exchanged pleasantries and as I recall they had a list of top five things that they had in common. Dining at the Dinnerghorn was one of those top five. I also remember her saying that she ran into him a couple of days later and he didn't remember who she was. Sad, but cute. If they are constantly reinventing their relationship it may be just what the doctor ordered. At 84, Mrs G is doing everything right or so it seems. My only recommendation is that she try to get a little more exercise. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that she is parlaying these relationships into something more formidable and long lasting. There is strength in numbers and it is true that life holds surprises for those willing to live it to the fullest. I suspect Mrs G is doing just that. Pursuing happiness at any cost. Is that not the challenge for each of us while we are on this lovely planet? I think so.