Sunday, July 17, 2016.
The Regular Hangout.
After my holy singing gig, I go for gasoline for the lawnmower. That will prove to be a waste of time, as we get hammered by an astonishing, lightning-filled soaker of a rainstorm. Instead, I spend the afternoon cleaning bathrooms. We have been alerted to a visit to the Cool Water Ranch by a non-Fitzmorris. What we really need is for the two bathrooms on the first floor to be rebuilt thoroughly. But that won't happen until well beyond Mary Leigh's wedding. The official priority of the bathrooms seems to be "Last In Line." Which means it may never be done.
Mary Leigh and I have a late lunch at the Acme Oyster House, a regular stop for the two of us for many years. She notes that her favorite Acme dish--the iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese and tomatoes--has gone from the $4.95 price it required when we first found it on the menu, to $6.95 now. But that's not as inflationary as the fried oysters remoulade, which was also $4.95 when I first ran into it. It's now $9.95. My theory about the dish--an appetizer--is that it's an outlet for raw oysters too small to serve at the bar. The increase may prove that wrong.
There's a new menu at the Acme, ML notices. We go through it thoroughly--not only looking for price changes but anything new. We find nothing. We both believe that the place needs to make some changes. Even the specials are tiresome, mainly because they recur interminably. And now that wild-caught local catfish is easily found, there is no excuse for the Acme to serve whatever that is subbing for cat.
Before all this is a minor crisis. I can't find my wallet, not even after searching for an hour. Brainstorm: maybe it's in that spot on the bookshelves in my office where I always leave the wallet. Bing! There it is. MA has more proof that I am becoming a real nincompoop in my old age.
But during our nearly-nostalgic hour at the Acme, we have a nice daddy-daughter tete-a-tete. I can feel the love she sends across the table. I hope she receives mine.
I drop ML off at The Chimes, where she will meet up with her cousins, the only three women I know who make ML look even a little plain. This is the third time ML has been to The Chimes on this visit, and it's only been a week since she flew in from Washington, D.C. The Marys have also been to La Caretta twice, once today. They love their regular hangouts.
Mary Leigh and I have a late lunch at the Acme Oyster House, a regular stop for the two of us for many years. She notes that her favorite Acme dish--the iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese and tomatoes--has gone from the $4.95 price it required when we first found it on the menu, to $6.95 now. But that's not as inflationary as the fried oysters remoulade, which was also $4.95 when I first ran into it. It's now $9.95. My theory about the dish--an appetizer--is that it's an outlet for raw oysters too small to serve at the bar. The increase may prove that wrong.
There's a new menu at the Acme, ML notices. We go through it thoroughly--not only looking for price changes but anything new. We find nothing. We both believe that the place needs to make some changes. Even the specials are tiresome, mainly because they recur interminably. And now that wild-caught local catfish is easily found, there is no excuse for the Acme to serve whatever that is subbing for cat.
Before all this is a minor crisis. I can't find my wallet, not even after searching for an hour. Brainstorm: maybe it's in that spot on the bookshelves in my office where I always leave the wallet. Bing! There it is. MA has more proof that I am becoming a real nincompoop in my old age.
But during our nearly-nostalgic hour at the Acme, we have a nice daddy-daughter tete-a-tete. I can feel the love she sends across the table. I hope she receives mine.
I drop ML off at The Chimes, where she will meet up with her cousins, the only three women I know who make ML look even a little plain. This is the third time ML has been to The Chimes on this visit, and it's only been a week since she flew in from Washington, D.C. The Marys have also been to La Caretta twice, once today. They love their regular hangouts.
