Refreshed!

My dear husband is so good to me!

He must have sensed my need for time away from the rigmarole, so he watched our three littlest ones today and took care off several household matters so I could be AWAY.  So necessary for a stay at home mom at times.

I went to town and indulged myself.  I had just a few groceries to get, so few really that if one item was not diapers and another coffee, I probably would not have been able to justify the gas for a trip to town to pick up the other things.  After my exercise this morning, I got cleaned up and left home at about noon.  After I got to Thief River Falls, I quickly picked up groceries and got gas.  Then my necessary errands were done and my fun began.

I made a quick stop at the library for some lazy reading.  I picked up a Sue Grafton novel, since I needed G is for Gumshoe and since they also had H is for Homicide and I is for Innocent, I picked those up, too.  Just out of curiosity, I also picked up a western that was right next door on the shelf.  Matt and Elsie kind of like to read westerns now and then, but I'm so out of touch with today's writers that I like to preview a few to know whether or not the kids ought to be reading them or what things we might need to discuss afterwards.

To get back to my day away, after I was done with my errands, I stopped at Fraser's and bought myself a nice lunch.  The waitress asked where I'd like to sit and I didn't really have a preference, so she seated me near the south facing windows.  Even though it was not terribly sunny, I did enjoy the filtered sunlight that peeked through now and then.  I had a Bacon/Bleu cheese Burger, which was very good.  I also had a salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette.  I had my nose in G is for Gumshoe all the while I was waiting, and in between courses.  I told the waitress that she should kick me out if she needed the booth, but that I was just relaxing, so not to worry about rushing for me.

About twenty minutes after the waitress had cleared away my dishes...drumroll please...I even ordered dessert and coffee.  The coffee just the right temperature for enjoying with the dessert and was served in a very cool mug.  The Caramel Apple Pie was interestingly delicious.  The crust was more of a moist cake layer which was topped with a caramelly custard and apple filling, all baked together into a smooth and creamy, not-too-sweet concoction.  It was artfully served with a drizzle of some sort of fun sauce zigged and zagged across the plate.  I'm not sure what the sauce was, because it was more creamy than sweet and about the color of a coffee ice cream.  Perhaps yogurt or sour cream with a bit of caramel sauce mixed in.

After this indulgence of such a peaceful and delightful meal, I eventually pulled myself away from my book and got back in the car.  I drove to Red Lake Falls to the library there to pick up my Azure Standard order, a movie Joe had on hold, a few books at a variety of reading levels, and to have a nice visit with my good friend, Laura, who is librarian there.  She was not too busy, so we were able to have a cup of tea while we visited and she told me all about her recent family vacation.  About which vacation I rejoiced to hear, since they are a farm family with animals to care for; so as some of you can probably imagine, a family vacation is a vary rare occurrence for them.  I was so glad to hear about their travels, all the things they saw and did, and they good times they had sitting around their campfires throughout the American Southeast.

And finally when it was time for Laura to begin closing the library, I loaded my things into the car and headed home.  But first I called Joe, since he was planning to cook supper for us and needed the frozen shrimp I was bringing home for his jambalaya.  He wanted a heads' up on my return, so he could have everything else ready.

What a guy.  I returned home, glad to see all my kids, and patient with their helping to unload the car, and with the littlest ones helping to put away the groceries.  I was so glad to be home and see all my kids.  I was refreshed and able to easily handle all the stories they had to relate and all the questions they had for me.

What a difference a day makes!