Mark’s birthday

Today is Mark’s birthday.

(Happy birthday, Mark!)

Amy and I spent a good part of the day in Culver, hanging out with Jasenka again at her garage sale. At her invitation; I might call on someone one day in depression, but I don’t push my luck, don’t foist myself on people too much, too often. In fact, I debated whether to go or not; I didn’t feel quite as deeply pitted as I did yesterday. But I remembered that garage sales might be a good place to look for a little table and chair(s) for Amy, so we went.

There weren’t any other garage sales in walking distance, and Jasenka and her cohorts didn’t have such a table and chairs, but I did pick up a few books, some toddler socks, and a toy dustpan and brush (Amy wants ours very desperately whenever it appears).

At one point we took a long walk over to Amy G’s to see if she and the new baby were home yet, but they weren’t — but we visited a few minutes with little Ryan and his grandma.

Just when we returned, there was a flash of lightening and a very loud crack of thunder, followed by a relatively brief downpour. We tried to push all the goods (already on the porch, good thing) out of the rain’s way and retreated inside for a while.

Then to the dining hall for lunch, but we’d just missed Mark, apparently, and ate by ourselves.

Home for a little play and a little nap, and Mark got home early. We all napped. It was good.

Out to dinner at Cristo’s, a little diner with the typical very long diner menu complete with some Greek dishes. Good rolls. Good soup (I had something Greek which was light, a little creamy, chicken and ricey; Mark had a potato soup; Amy tasted a lot of each). Good ribs, good patty melt, not so good fries and grilled cheese — and really, Amy doesn’t eat enough to merit ordering a kid’s meal for her yet.

Thence to Sears to pick up Mark’s birthday present — not particularly fluffy fun, but still appreciated, a 6-ton hydraulic jack and a work light with a 30-ft cord in a retracting reel.

Then grocery shopping (everything interesting on the shelf, or that mama picks up, Amy wants to “help mama!”, i.e. hold it for me), then home and a bath for Amy, complete with one poop in the tub and another on the naked-time blanket afterwards and one tiny bit in the potty.