Saturday, November 26, 2022Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2003. Mattie was a year and a half old and was in the living room doing puzzles. I learned early on that Mattie loved puzzles and was good at them. He was really good at understanding three dimensions and how things went together, came apart and then went back together again.
Quote of the day: When the young bury the old, time heals the pain and the sorrow. But when the process is reversed, the sorrow remains forever. ~ Joseph P. Kennedy
I got up early this morning, so I could get all my chores done, in order to take my parent's out for my mom's 87th birthday. While I went to the farmers market, Peter and his mom called from Boston and sang.... Happy Birthday to my mom.
I consulted with my dad's doctor and as of tomorrow, my dad will be off Ritalin for good. It isn't working for him, but doing the exact opposite of its intended purpose. Given that I wasn't sure whether he could just stop Ritalin cold turkey (after taking it for over a month) today or whether he had to titrate down, I elected to titrate him down. The doctor weighed in later and told me to stop it altogether tomorrow. Given my dad's energy level, I wasn't sure how today's special lunch would go. But I know my mom likes doing things and experiencing new places and activities... unlike my dad. So I took them to Chez Francois for a four course lunch. My mom even had a passion fruit martini!
I am quite certain that the average adult child would not be entertaining such an adventure, as it takes a lot to balance both of their needs.
My mom snapped this photo of me with my dad. They sat us in the "rooster room," a name given to the room because of a rooster painting over the mantle of the room's fireplace. We had a lovely table by the window and my mom truly enjoyed the whole experience!The room was decorated beautifully for the holidays! It truly felt magical. Today's menu! My mom had:- a trio of salmon
- a salad
- sea bass
- Grand Marnier souffle
My dad had:
- bacon wrapped scallops
- a salad
- veal scallopini
- a trio of ice cream
Lastly, I had:
- a mushroom crepe
- a salad
- sea bass
- raspberry souffle
The restaurant presents the birthday guest with homemade chocolate ice cream surrounded by their wonderful meringue. I then asked our waiter to snap a photo of us. I just loved this Mattie Miracle themed flower arrangement in the room with us. It was simply stunning. Nothing like a room with fresh flowers. The rooster painting usually hangs over this fireplace. But the rooms are now all decorated for Christmas. Somehow the lights and decorations made the afternoon even more festive. Of course no meal is ever peaceful for me. Thankfully the restaurant has a family restroom on the same level as the dining room. It made it super easy to help my dad. Who naturally had to go. Unfortunately he had an accident in his pants as we did not make it to the bathroom in time. My life is filled with endless poop. I never travel without a tote bag filled with wipes, gloves, garbage bags, depends and so forth. Again, after such an episode, I am not sure the average person could go back to the table and contend with food. But I do! I can conclude that my mom had a special day. Tomorrow I take them for high tea at the Ritz. This is what my mom really wanted to do for her birthday, but I couldn't get reservations for today (they were all booked up). So I went with plan B. Sometimes plan B is even better.
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