Reading: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first of a series of kids' books, which has received rave reviews. I'm looking forward to reading it to the boys one day. Hard cover editions of the first two books in the series are currently available for 50 percent off at Amazon.com.

Weather: It continues to be hot but the last few days have not been at all humid. Still no rain. Background courtesy of
Ace of Space

Gallivanting

I think I've finally turned the corner on this urinary tract infection. In fact, I was feeling so much better this morning that I canceled my doctor's appointment. I've had the same doctor for the past six years, and though I really like her, I still hate going to the doctor's office. Since the new medication seems to be working, I decided the appointment was unnecessary.

Tab was dubious. "You're making a mistake," he said when I told him I'd canceled the appointment. Fine words from someone who has put off having an annual physical for years!

My sister Lori was still in town today, having remained behind to spend some time with Nana after her family returned to Maine on Sunday. She and I planned to go to lunch today at the new Thai restaurant in Princeton. Stephanie had taken the twins out at about noon, so I was blessedly childfree for the afternoon.

Lori and I both liked Thai Village. It's not really a new restaurant anymore, having opened more than a year and a half ago, but this was my first visit. The food was tasty; we both especially liked the lemon grass soup, a delicately sour broth seasoned with fresh lemon grass, scallions, and sliced mushrooms. Lori insisted on paying for lunch, which was an unexpected treat.

Tab and I picked Daniel up, and then the three of us drove Lori to the Philadelphia airport to catch her plane. I enjoyed spending some time with Lori during her visit, but I know the trip was one of mixed emotions for her. She found it particularly hard to see Nana in her current state, having always been close to our grandmother.

On the way back from the airport, we opted to avoid the two accidents on I-95 North that Tab had spotted on our way down. We crossed the Walt Whitman Bridge into New Jersey and took 295 North. That route took us conveniently close to Mastoris Diner, an institution in Bordentown for decades, and Tab's favorite spot to order veal. Mastoris began its life as 12-seater diner in 1927; in the years that followed, the owners added room after room until Mastoris now seats 650. It is still run by the same family, and despite its size, the menu is still a typical diner menu with literally hundreds of choices. The food is good and the portions huge. Both Daniel and I had substantial amounts of leftovers to take home with us.

It felt a little strange to be out with just Tab and Daniel and not the two little guys. Daniel doesn't get much of a chance just to hang out with his parents by himself. He behaved extremely well at the restaurant, as he always does when his brothers aren't around for him to torment or get wild with.

When we got home, we found Stephanie preparing dinner for the twins. They had just returned from an afternoon of gallivanting. First Stephanie had taken them to lunch at Buddy's in Lambertville. Then she took them to the office where she used to work before she retired to visit with her former co-workers. Then they went to Stephanie's doctor's office, ostensibly to pick up a prescription. The real reason was, of course, so that she could show off her darling grandsons to the office workers and nurses there, just as she had done at her old office. Then the boys were treated to ice cream at Jann's in Pennington, and finally she took them to her house.

Stephen and Matthew rarely get a chance to visit Stephanie's house by themselves. They cherish their few opportunities to play with the toys she has there without interference from a glowering, territorial older brother. Daniel thinks of his Babci's house as his own, private refuge and doesn't take kindly to intrusion by the young ones. The twins didn't want to leave when she told them it was time to go home and have dinner.

I complain about my mother-in-law because she can be interfering and meddlesome. She is an insecure woman who takes any difference of opinion as a personal insult, which has caused her to stop speaking to us for weeks at a time. Still, she loves the boys wholeheartedly, and I realize I am extremely lucky that she is willing to take either the twins or Daniel out on pretty regular intervals, particularly as my own mother lives so far away.

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