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Sauerbraten
Patience in the present, faith in the future, and joy in the doing.
-- George Perera
Sunday, February 4, 2001
Two years ago: Green Pajamas
Three years ago: Being Candid
I was up at a reasonable time, and off to Bellingham. When I got to town, instead of going directly to Jack's place, I stopped at Fred Meyer. I wanted some groceries for dinner, and I needed some personal items, too. FM, with its combination of general merchandise and grocery store, is a good place for this kind of shopping.
At Jack's house, I put a pot roast in the new crockpot, with a Knorr seasoning mix, and potatoes, carrots, and a sliced onion. Jack kept talking about going in to his office to work, but he didn't make any moves in that direction. He'd warned me about this yesterday, so it would have been ok with me. (At first I'd had a little twinge about it -- not about what he'd said but the tone of voice, not very enthusiastic. "Doesn't he want me to come up?" I wondered. But then I realized that he did, and besides, I wanted to see him no matter what.)
Jack's daughter A---- wandered around the living room. "I'm bored," she said in plaintive tones. To me, this suggests someone without enough work to do. What a dangerous statement to make to a parent! I'm sure my mom would have found plenty for me to do around the place at a similar age. I unwisely replied, "We aren't here to amuse you." I don't think it was my comment that turned this into a mini-tantrum, but for a while she was saying that no, she didn't want to go shopping for clothes, when she'd been nagging about going all weekend. I should have just kept quiet, but it's not easy.
It would be a puzzle to suggest something to occupy her, though I don't feel responsible for that area. But she has no interest in books, doesn't want to clean up her room. Maybe she's disappointed that her dad doesn't let her watch TV forever? Jack getting that satellite dish going was probably not such a hot idea.
After A---- calmed down, we had a series of errands to run. Radio Shack was first; Jack was now looking for a kit that allows other TVs to pick up the satellite dish signal, so A---- will be able to watch in her room. Then, as had been promised all weekend, A---- could spend some money on clothing, at Ross's Dress for Less. For some reason, as we pulled into the shopping center to drop her off, this turned into a demand for a latte. No way! (If she chose a different method and tone of voice to make these requests, her sucess percentage would be better, I think.)
Jack and I drove up the road to a furniture store he wanted to look in (still prospecting for bookshelves), but it was closed on Sunday, which surprised us. So we wandered through Barnes and Noble for a bit, until it was time to pick A---- up.
* * * * * * * *
Success! A----- found several things she liked, and stayed within her budget. We finally did go to the cafe around the corner and had a snack, since Jack was hungry. I split a bowl of chili and a muffin with him.
It was so late in the afternoon that Jack didn't want to go home, only to have to go out again to take A---- to her NA meeting. There was enough time to go wash the car, though. We stopped at one of those coin-op places where you use the sprayer and brush yourself. The Blazer certainly needed it! I don't think he really saved any money over going to a place that does it for you, though.
As we drove towards the place where the meeting was to be, A----- started whining about feeling sick from breathing soap from the car wash. She didn't want to go to the meeting. We stopped at the park overlooking the bay, and watched the sky and the sunset. I'll confess, I was feeling some annoyance that she didn't want to go; I'd been looking forward to some private time with Jack! While I was leaning against the railing and watching the waves, he sat and talked with A----, trying to pin down why she didn't want to go to the meeting. I don't know what he said, but it worked -- she changed her mind and we took her to the meeting after all!
* * * * * * * *
At home, dinner was delicious! I really liked how the potroast turned out, slow-cooked with the Knorr sauerbraten flavor packet. Taking advantage of the satellite dish, we watched Futurama, King of the Hill, and the Simpsons. I'd tried to lobby for a movie about Bill Bojangles Robinson on Showtime, but gave it up after a few minutes -- I sampled it and it didn't appeal to me much after all.
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