May 17, 2004 - Belated Mommy's Day

I got her a variety of things like body scrub and bubble bath to pamper herself with, but I also got her a couple Weight Watchers books to help her with her goal of getting down to a healthy weight.

Then we drove to the restaurant together. It was a local hotel, one of the nicer restaurants in the area. Mom had suggested it, because she liked their steaks. I also liked the place because it looked classy, and I felt that it was important to celebrate in style.

My mom and The Gryphon got steaks, while my Dad and I opted for stuffed flounder.

Afterwards, we went back to her place and hung out, talking about such things as pets and the fact that she's decided to start cataloguing her doll collection.

The next day, once more, we slept in and then The Gryphon and I went over to Mom's place to see if she wanted to do anything. She was busy working in the garden. Neither of us were wearing gardening clothes, so we pulled up chairs and talked to her. She said it was good if we just kept her company.

We did help her from time to time, handing her things like marigolds and potting soil.

Mom was happy to learn that gardening counts as exercise. Light exercise, to be sure, but still exercise. Any activity counts, according to Weight Watchers.

So we spent a quiet afternoon that way, joking around in the garden while Mom planted things. I took pictures of some of her flowers...

    

 

     

After my dad finished up with his afternoon rounds, he came over and The Gryphon and I went with him to a local craft and garden store, Benjamin Franklin's, which just opened. Dad was happy to see a store opening in this building, which had previously been occupied by a grocery store and then and indoor go-cart racetrack.

Since Mom had invited us to stay for dinner, we picked up a few things at the store on the way back. We had turkey burgers and regular burgers (I ate turkey), a fresh salad, apple sauce, wheat bread and then angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. I think when Mom starts following the Weight Watchers plan she'll discover that she'll be allowed to end with strawberries, perhaps, but not the whole shebang.

After a leisurely dinner, The Gryphon and I went back to my dad's place, packed up the car and drove home. We came across three SEPTA buses, which were so new they still had plastic on the front. Their signs flashed, "SEPTA, Out of service." The Gryphon took a picture.

He also got some of the countryside.

We were hoping that we'd make it back in time to catch a late showing of Troy, but we got struck in construction on the way, and that made us about half an hour to late to catch the latest showings.

But still, the time we spent with my mom (and dad) this weekend was worth it. She seemed happy with her gifts. In fact, before we headed out, she promised she'd start reading the diet books and start living healthier. That would be the best Mother's Day present I could imagine.

Moral:
Flowers are a great way to celebrate Mother's Day.