New Life

I have these things called Personal Days that are like vacation days, but not really? I don't understand why they just don't give me extra vacation and call it good. But they disappear at the end of every year, unlike the vacation days. So when I got the memo that we had to use them up before December 26th, I had to plan a day off or lose it. And that day was yesterday. I figured - why not plan a fun day finishing up my Christmas shopping, have a fun lunch at a new restaurant downtown, and in general, just have some fun? So I did! Dancing Queen joined me for the whole venture. It was wonderful.

Despite the fact that days off should mean sleeping in until you're not tired anymore, I had to set my alarm early. See - it snowed here on Tuesday night and since I park on the street, I have to move my car at 8 a.m. or it either gets towed or plowed into a snow bank. So right at 8 a.m., I got up, donned my wool socks, boots, long coat, hat, mittens and scarf to start my car and move it about 30 feet around the corner. Of course I couldn't go back to sleep. So I drank a tank of coffee and shivered under a blanket until I warmed up enough to take a shower. It was lovely. ALL the hot water I wanted!

Then the party commenced. Walgreens to pick up photo prints, Hobby Lobby to get picture frames, Staples for graph paper, a quick trip through the Dollar Tree and we were ready for lunch. We ate at the Parker Bistro (I looked and looked for a link for you foodies, but there is none.) It's a brand new restaurant downtown and it was worth the try. We both started with the Chicken Tortilla Soup because we were FREEZING. It was warmed. Not hot. I was not impressed. But then they brought me coffee, which was really an Americano and that saved my wrath. It was lovely. I had the turkey sandwich, which was anything but a plain old turkey sandwich. Cracked pepper turkey sliced on toasted garlic bread with aged cheddar, aioli and bibb lettuce; it was messy, but wonderful. The salad was served with a cilantro lime vinagrette. I wanted to lick my plate. Dancing Queen had the Buffalo Burger with the same aged cheddar and carmelized onions served on a potato bun. If you've never had buffalo, it really is worth a try. I think it's flavor and texture is a mix between ground beef and ground turkey and it's always moist. And since we were having a decadent day off, we had dessert. Southern Chocolate Pudding. We asked the waiter what that meant and he kind of laughed and said it was because the recipe was from the chef's southern grandmother, but that we would love it. And he was not wrong. It was the most decadent chocolate "pudding" I'd ever had. It was more like chocolate pie filling? Or melted candy bars. Or maybe congealed Mrs. Richardson's fudge. The texture of ice cream, only it wasn't cold. I told Dancing Queen that if any of my girlfriends ever had a broken heart, I'd come get one of these and bring it over to save the day. Ben and Jerry's has nothing on it.

Okay, that was my non-foodie review of the Parker Bistro. I loved the food, but it was freezing in there. We couldn't take our coats off and I did not like that. But all the cooks, waiters and hosts were amazing specimens of male beauty. That kind of made up for the cold.

Then downtown. The Book Store, Mrs. Murphy's Irish Gifts (I WILL get a tin flute and learn to play it. I will. There is no question about it.) Zandbroz, Patina, Ten Thousand Villages and we were done. I got a parking ticket. No shit. A parking ticket. The last one I got was in 1994. So I guess I had one coming. But guess where we ended the day? At Tractor Supply Company. Yes. The farm store. And let me tell you, I love that place. Did you know they have pink Carhartt work bibs? Pink. Pink! That kind of made my day. And then it was over. My day off was over. On to a meeting, then out to Tallgrass like every other Wednesday and then bed. Sigh. I need more of these Personal Days.