Saturday, May 16, 2009

A Surprise-filled Week

It has, indeed, been a week of surprises. 

Some of them have been good (I got a new assignment at work which will, hopefully, be the start of some decent cash-flow), some have been not so good (one friend lost a job, another friend lost a good friend to a freak auto accident). But last night was a very good surprise.

Let me start by laying out the earlier portions of the day: Christopher (off on a "flex day") and I got a slow start, then headed to Gerten's, the largest garden center in the area. (We're talking acres of shopping for everything from rocks to marigolds to 15-foot maple trees.) We tramped all around the place and came home with a shrub willow, three poppies, a clematis and a star jasmine, as well as some fertilizer, weed killer and potting soil. Since we were expecting rain last evening, I spent the hour after we got home digging around in the yard putting in new things and pulling out old. 

The poppies and clematis were going in to replace some that didn't make it through the winter, while the willow was replacing a mock orange which also took a hit. Everything was proceeding as planned until the first shock of the day: The "dead" mock orange had a little sprout right at the base of the otherwise bone-dry dead stems. And not just one, but two little sprouts. I found the same thing with the clematis and one of last year's poppies. With a little re-thinking, then, each of those living -- if not thriving -- plants went back into the dirt. (Now if only they'll survive tonight's mid-May frost warning...)

While I was working, Christopher announced that once I was done I should come in and rest and get cleaned up because he was going to take me to dinner. We'd had a "Date night" on the books for a week or so. We've taken to scheduling these because otherwise we get a little over-booked and miss out on the chance to see each other, so I didn't think anything of it. I had been expecting that we would order in a pizza or Chinese food and just crash out on the couch -- especially after the yardwork. 

Christopher insisted, though, and so we got a little dressed up (no tennis shoes, even though we were in jeans -- one of my favorite things about this part of the world is the casual levels of getting "dressed up"), and headed out to some mystery destination he wouldn't name. About halfway to St. Paul, I asked (again) where we were going, and this time he pulled an envelope out of the car door pocket and handed it to me. 

Inside was a two-week-early birthday card with an "invitation" to an evening of cabaret and dinner sponsored by Heimie's Haberdashery and Meritage Restaurant in downtown St. Paul. It was a great evening. The cabaret actually took place IN the Haberdashery, amid the tailor-made menswear and accessories, with the stage about halfway into the accompanying barber shop. Okay, so it was a little rough around the edges, but the singers were great, the magician was a riot, and there were hors d'oeuvres beforehand. We even got our palms read while we were waiting. 

After the show was over, we adjourned next door to our restaurant. There was a three-course meal (included in the price of the evening), with a great selection at each course. One of the cabaret singers wandered in and chatted with each of the tables. And outside the sunset was playing light tricks on all of the buildings. It was one of those evenings that you enjoy enough that you don't really know that you want it to end, because even if you go back, it might not be as good the second time. 

We left Meritage around 9:30, and Christopher started driving... well... the wrong way through St. Paul (that was what my tired and slightly-overwhelmed brain was saying, at least). I couldn't figure out where in the world he was going, until he pulled up outside the Crowne Plaza hotel and explained that this was the continuation of the evening: a room on the 17th floor with a gorgeous river view, a king-sized bed and a copy of the incredible movie "Paris, Je T'aime" which we could watch on his laptop. (Yes, he had packed an overnight bag for both of us, as well as his computer and the movie.) We made it through about a third of the movie before we gave up for the night.

This morning we took our time getting ready as we looked out at our amazing view, then tried the buffet breakfast (good, but not amazing) before wandering out into the (surprisingly) cool morning. And it's only Saturday! Who knows what the rest of the weekend might bring?

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