Happy Un-Labor Day
What a great way to celebrate working--by NOT working! I'm off today for Labor Day. It's been an interesting weekend so far:
Friday night went well. My Mom wanted to go to a Chinese place for her birthday. My older brother knew of a brand new one that had opened up across from our Perkins, so we went there. We were standing in a big line waiting for a seat and my brother just hung around the door. I'm not very outgoing, but the most outgoing of my family and I did not want my poor Mom to be waiting there while people were geeting ahead of us! So I stood in the line, caught the busy hostess' eye and held up my hand, "Table for five?" she asked, and soon we had a table. The food was excellent and it was a good choice. Nobody wanted to sing Happy Birthday to the two birthday people, and I would have been singing alone (no one would want that!) so we didn't sing, but otherwise the meal and interactions went fine.
Saturday was a mixed day of doing errands, chores and looking stuff up online. My Mom had told me (during her birthday dinner) that my younger brother was coming up on Saturday night. He would be taking her to church early on Sunday and that we would be going out for lunch before he left.
On Sunday I spent a little time online but not too much as I didn't want the phone to be busy. But when the call didn't come, I started to get restless. "Just call them" my son advised, as he was getting ready for work. But I didn't want to because my older brother and wife have this thing of wanting to cook for my Mom lately. They bring the food and tear up her kitchen in cooking. I'm not sure she really likes it and I wouldn't either. It's easier to just go out to eat, and poverty isn't the issue, he's a CFO and earns tons of money. He owns four houses now and doesn't rent out any of them. Guess he just thinks it's charming or something.
I was getting hungry and ate an apple, then quickly walked the two blocks to get the Sunday paper. The paper was a good way to occupy my time. I had the rodeo to go to at 1:30 anyway. Finally Mom called, "I've missed you" she said, and I reminded her that it had only been since Friday. Then she said that they had just pulled away and invited me over FOR LEFTOVERS! My brother and family had indeed cooked for her and had now left for home. I probably should have just gone there but it was getting late and I was a bit angry with them. Why hadn't I been invited to eat with them, why just for leftovers? I was glad that I hadn't called them (some instinct told me not to) because I would have been crashing their party, I wasn't invited.
But I knew why the later invitation, my Mom wanted me to clean up her kitchen and put away all the food. So I just said "No, I'm going to the rodeo, remember?" and without (too much) guilt that's what I did.
The rodeo was awesome, held outside in the weather of course. I had both a rain jacket and a fleece jacket and ended up loaning out my fleece jacket to someone who had come in short sleeves. As for the rodeo, I loved it! Such a fun blend of sport, patriotism, and American Kitsch (well decribed as: "fabulously tacky excesses and desirably hideous objects, and music in an outlandishly kitsch tribute to all things tack!") They had several country songs about patriotism before the Pledge of Alliance, all with girls on horseback waving flags around. Then they had a prayer. Apparently they had Rodeo Church in the morning, wish I'd gone to that as I didn't go to the regular church.
I bought some cheese curds during the intermission, as the apple hadn't been enough, and a straw cowgirl hat! We looked at horse tack and lots of leather. It was so dusty that I had to put my sunglasses on even though it wasn't that sunny. What a photo that would have made with the cowgirl hat! I liked that girls' barrel racing the most, and we cheered them on. The bronco riding and especially the bull riding were dangerous. Two of the guys got hurt, both during the bull riding, which was the last event. Then I came home to a peaceful, empty house (son at work) with no doors left unlocked or open.
Hope you had a good weekend!
Friday night went well. My Mom wanted to go to a Chinese place for her birthday. My older brother knew of a brand new one that had opened up across from our Perkins, so we went there. We were standing in a big line waiting for a seat and my brother just hung around the door. I'm not very outgoing, but the most outgoing of my family and I did not want my poor Mom to be waiting there while people were geeting ahead of us! So I stood in the line, caught the busy hostess' eye and held up my hand, "Table for five?" she asked, and soon we had a table. The food was excellent and it was a good choice. Nobody wanted to sing Happy Birthday to the two birthday people, and I would have been singing alone (no one would want that!) so we didn't sing, but otherwise the meal and interactions went fine.
Saturday was a mixed day of doing errands, chores and looking stuff up online. My Mom had told me (during her birthday dinner) that my younger brother was coming up on Saturday night. He would be taking her to church early on Sunday and that we would be going out for lunch before he left.
On Sunday I spent a little time online but not too much as I didn't want the phone to be busy. But when the call didn't come, I started to get restless. "Just call them" my son advised, as he was getting ready for work. But I didn't want to because my older brother and wife have this thing of wanting to cook for my Mom lately. They bring the food and tear up her kitchen in cooking. I'm not sure she really likes it and I wouldn't either. It's easier to just go out to eat, and poverty isn't the issue, he's a CFO and earns tons of money. He owns four houses now and doesn't rent out any of them. Guess he just thinks it's charming or something.
I was getting hungry and ate an apple, then quickly walked the two blocks to get the Sunday paper. The paper was a good way to occupy my time. I had the rodeo to go to at 1:30 anyway. Finally Mom called, "I've missed you" she said, and I reminded her that it had only been since Friday. Then she said that they had just pulled away and invited me over FOR LEFTOVERS! My brother and family had indeed cooked for her and had now left for home. I probably should have just gone there but it was getting late and I was a bit angry with them. Why hadn't I been invited to eat with them, why just for leftovers? I was glad that I hadn't called them (some instinct told me not to) because I would have been crashing their party, I wasn't invited.
But I knew why the later invitation, my Mom wanted me to clean up her kitchen and put away all the food. So I just said "No, I'm going to the rodeo, remember?" and without (too much) guilt that's what I did.
The rodeo was awesome, held outside in the weather of course. I had both a rain jacket and a fleece jacket and ended up loaning out my fleece jacket to someone who had come in short sleeves. As for the rodeo, I loved it! Such a fun blend of sport, patriotism, and American Kitsch (well decribed as: "fabulously tacky excesses and desirably hideous objects, and music in an outlandishly kitsch tribute to all things tack!") They had several country songs about patriotism before the Pledge of Alliance, all with girls on horseback waving flags around. Then they had a prayer. Apparently they had Rodeo Church in the morning, wish I'd gone to that as I didn't go to the regular church.
I bought some cheese curds during the intermission, as the apple hadn't been enough, and a straw cowgirl hat! We looked at horse tack and lots of leather. It was so dusty that I had to put my sunglasses on even though it wasn't that sunny. What a photo that would have made with the cowgirl hat! I liked that girls' barrel racing the most, and we cheered them on. The bronco riding and especially the bull riding were dangerous. Two of the guys got hurt, both during the bull riding, which was the last event. Then I came home to a peaceful, empty house (son at work) with no doors left unlocked or open.
Hope you had a good weekend!
8 Comments:
I remember my mom taking me to a rodeo when I was a kid, and I loved it.
Glad you had a good weekend so far.
I'm glad you survived the non-breakfast.
Good to read about the birthday and all! Happy Labor Day!!!!!
Sounds like an enjoyable weekend/Mom Birthday :)
Glad you told your mum "no." Good for you!
Good for you for saying "NO"! So glad you had a super weekend :o)
Sorry you weren't invited to share their meal. Really bad manners not including you. Sorry that you realize that your Mom was going to use you for the cleanup...that must be a terrible realization. Just remember...you're the better person. Good luck at work this week.
I'm glad you told your mom no too. I can't believe your brother didn't clean up after himself. How rude! The rodeo sounds like a blast though. Man, I can't even remember the last time I went to a rodeo...it's been too long!
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