A million years ago (don’t all of my stories happen a million years ago?) E was going to take me out for a nice dinner for my birthday. We hadn’t been out to a nice dinner, alone, for a long time. We had two small boys and a recent pregnancy and our dining out experiences revolved around the ABC restaurant for Sunday breakfasts and the ABC restaurant for family dinners. Stop me if I have told you this one before.

So I was excited. We had a babysitter and I could fit into a pre-pregnancy dress and we were going out to a nice restaurant for the first time in forever. E heard about the restaurant from a client and thought it would be perfect. We were taken to our seats and I burst into tears. We were sitting in a restaurant which I am sure had very nice food but it felt like a cafeteria. It was brightly lit, open air, mostly empty and there was not a table cloth to be seen. There was probably a family with small children at the next table. E excused himself and went to the back of the restaurant to borrow a phone. He called the Teahouse at Stanley Park and got a last minute reservation. We thanked the server, put our menus down and drove to Stanley Park. It was a lovely dinner and, oh yea, E has the patience of Job.

Now in my defense. I do not consider myself a high maintenance fussy type of a woman. Hell, we caught eight mice in our house in the last day. But for a special birthday dinner, for the first time out without children, they should at least provide a table cloth.

Normally, I am not inclined to cut garden flowers and bring them into the house. I often cut them to give away to friends but I rarely put them in our house. I don’t like it when they die. But this summer is different. I am determined to enjoy every moment of this year’s blossoms.

Rain was scheduled so I cut all of the peonies and brought them into our house before they could be damaged. The house smelled gorgeous. Now that they are done, I saved the petals in a pretty box to get every last moment of their scent. You can just imagine how great they smell.

Many of the roses in the garden are also blooming and it is a terrible waste since the current rains keep me indoors for the better part of the day. The rains should be over by Wednesday, and the roses will bloom all month, so I will get plenty of enjoyment from them but, in the mean time, I brought a few in to enjoy. They are lovely.

Tomorrow we are going to venture out for lunch in a restaurant for the first time in fifteen months and it’s my birthday. My friend suggested a couple of our usual pubs but I told her that only a table cloth will do. She knows me well and agreed whole heartedly. We are really looking forward to a conversation with our friends over a glass of wine, while someone else cooks the meal and then another brings it to our table. It has been

a long time