Like The Queen
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Sunday, July 25, 2004  

The birthday trip was 100% perfect. It was everything you want a mega playdate with your girlfriend to be. Pure joy. Pure bliss. I’m still smiling about it.

It began with a bit of an emergency when BH called at 8. Her dog had developed a hot spot and had chewed all its fur off. Not to worry - we were first at the vets, with time to take Ginger back home before heading off to the city. First stop was at the expensive make-up counter, where we dropped many dollars, but not more than we had. And the boy who did BH’s makeup was subtle and skillful and flattering. I was not so lucky but I was mostly interested in skin care products so I could sneak off to the ladies room and eradicate that particular mistake. Black eye-liner on a 52 year old is truly a no-no. And it was fun to look so weird that when a woman from my town walked past the counter she didn’t recognize me.

Lunch at Applebees was the WW special and I liked it just fine. The teeeeeeeeensy sliver of chocolate cake was really good, too. 1/12 of a cake is not much - but it was enough to give us both that happy desert feeling. Honest and true. It did not have that metallic taste of artificial sweeteners - it was quite good. I suspect it was done without oil - probably with applesauce and had more of a moist brownie texture.

Then it was time to try on all the clothes we’ll never buy. We hit the designer sections of the two big department stores and scouted out Anne Taylor, since BH looks great in pink. Truth is, she really only intended to buy shoes and I was only looking for that single pair of summer weight pants that are not going to wrinkle and eventually we found both. But the bulk of the day was spent trying on beaded silk party dresses and giggling and parading around in them. In the end, though, BH spied a white silk pantsuit that fit her like a dream, marked down so low that the final purchase price on the $280 garment was just slightly over $50. Now - I think every woman needs a birthday gift like that.

At the big every size in stock shoe store BH hit paydirt. Saxons is not a chain store. All it’s staff is expertly trained in both the store’s inventory and how to fit people’s feet. BH has a really small narrow foot - she could be a shoe model, actually, so she always has to shop at this rather expensive place. So, what do you know - all their own brands of shoes were 50% off - and at the checkout counter, when I casually mentioned to the clerk that it was BH’s birthday the woman beamed and said "oh, we can give you a 10% discount on the boots, which were pink flowered Wellington’s that matched the lining of her raincoat - just right for a real estate agent to show wet farmland to potential buyers, but which were not on sale.

So. 12 hours after I’d left home, I was driving back down 631 in the rain (yes, yes, it rained all the live long day) when BH&GF passed me, stopped and backed up. We exchanged greetings and a key as the headlights of a familiar little white Nissan pulled up behind. This is so like a joke description I often make, of my little town, where three cars will pull up on a 2 lane road and what do you know - it’s the whole durn family. How about that. I’ve become my own cliché. BD followed me home and he is the one who pulled the tree limb out of our lane - there is nothing so wonderful as big strong guys who lift heavy things.

We caught up on the important bits, but I was dead dog tired, asleep by 9 and out of commission for the next 10 hours.

A perfect happy birthday gift to give a best friend. And today is another rainy Sunday. I’m tired of the dampness, but I’m not tired yet, of rainy Sundays. I’m ready to curl up with toys. I’ll probably take a nap. Who knows? I may even do something fiberly.

posted by Bess | 8:59 AM
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