Sunday, December 23, 2012.
Brunching With Brees At The Chimes.
Jude and his girlfriend arrive tomorrow. Mary Ann has been a whirlwind of housecleaning, pulling me along in her stream. I scrubbed the floors in the pantry and the bathroom (we live in the only house I've ever seen in which to get to the latter you pass through the former), and washed all the windows. Surprise! MA thought all my work looked great. Usually by this stage in the game she is treating me like an incompetent employee.
Meanwhile, the painter she found a few days ago has finished all his prep work and begun the actual painting of the entire exterior of the Cool Water Ranchhouse. Even Mary Ann must know by now that there is no way this will be complete by Christmas. Not with just one guy, anyway. The girlfriend will just have to be impressed with our new roof, a newly-surfaced driveway, and clean windows.
In late morning, the Marys grew hungry and in need of watching half a Saints football game. Chimes would be the place. The choice I was offered was whether I were in or out of that.
I'm burned out on most of the Chimes' food. But on Sundays they put out a good if brief brunch menu. From that I started with a tomato bisque, followed by poached eggs atop a croissant with oysters and hollandaise, brabant potatoes, and a small pot of creamy grits. This is as large a load as anything else here, but by eating only half of the pile I get out unleaded.
What with all the big meals during the past week, that would take care of all my eating for today. The Marys went their way and I mine. They came back a couple of hours later with a Christmas tree. At last! Most of the tree lots are done for the year, but they found one in Mandeville that had a few left. They got a good one for a mere $15, the lowest price in at least twenty-five years for me.
They couldn't leave that good deal stand, however, and went back to the tree lot to pick up a second, flocked tree. Fifty dollars. Why leave a budget unspent? Better question: where with this white tree go? Outside, said MA. I hope it doesn't get splattered with pink splashes from the house painting.
The Chimes. Covington: 19130 W Front St. 985-892-5396.
