There were five of us at the Cheescake Factory Sunday morning, jovially bantering with our cute young waiter and laughing our way through an assortment of brunch delicacies, from French Toast to a perfect Breakfast Quesadilla. And, of course, cheesecake. I’m addicted to Key Lime cheesecake.
We like to kid around with young waitpeople, giving them “motherly” advice, making them laugh, and managing to find out more about them than they realize. And then we leave a big tip. They are aways a major part of our dining experience.
The pizza and several glasses of wine the night before relaxed me so much that the kink in my back that’s been there for a week finally started to dissolve. Wine, laughter, and good friends with whom you share the same politics — that’s the best medicine in the world. We laugh at ourselves and we laugh at each other, reminding ourselves not to take ourselves too seriously.
We do take politics seriously, however, and the brunch was as much a celebration of the election outcomes as it was a celebration of just being together again.
In between the wine and the cheescake, I ran around buying stuff I needed in stores that we don’t have here in the mountains. I especially load up on my cat litter at PetSmart — Swheatscoop, which is make out of wheat and so it doesn’t get my cat constipated, as other litter does. Apparently, she ingests a certain amount of litter when she cleans her paws. The wheat just gets digested and doesn’t plug her up. It’s expensive, but, hey, she’s worth it. And, since her litter is in my one large room living space, it sure helps that there’s no odor!!
Leaving my mother with my brother on Saturday was like leaving a three-year old. She cried, cursed, used guilt, and had an elder-trantrum. But I went, and she survived just fine.
For the past several years, I have spent every holiday with my mother. But this Thanksgiving, I’m planning to go to my daughter’s. I’ll cook the usual turkey and mashed potatoes and “kapusta” and my brother can heat it up (or not) on Thanksgiving Day.
I’m looking forward to having the feeling of family.