Good Eats

Mountain Mermaid

Working from home four days a week still leaves the other three days a week at home. Yesterday I wanted to stay in and write, because I wanted to write. Then I thought maybe I should get out and about and write. Nick has mentioned perhaps once or twice that I do spend an inordinate amount of time in my house. This morning in the small amount of time we have together before he heads to work, I informed him I was 'getting out'.

Later after tea and a shower I packed up my laptop in my super cool black leather carrying case,  slipped into my snazzy Franco Sarto boots and walked out the front door into the sun.

Sun. I turned around and went back inside the house and dug my fingers into the copper colored pottery bowl I have laying on my pulpit and grabbed my shades. The fake Dolce & Gabbana I won for free and like so much. Headed down my steps and to the street below. The sides of the streets are still covered in snow from the last snowstorm, but the pavement is bare and wet. As I walk past the Pastime, Misty hollers at me I reply but keep moving to my goal. The first goal is the post office and it is a lackluster day in box 723, two bills I stuff them into my case and Ricardo holds the door for me and we walk down the sidewalk together heading towards the Brick. He informs me he is done working for the day and heading home to take a nap. I inform him I'm going to the library. His heavy accented English I enjoy. He would be damn sexy if he just had front teeth.

Crossing the highway I decide I will pop into the Mountain Mermaid and do a bit of Christmas shopping, perhaps get a sandwich to go. I let myself in the door of the former Foreign Legion Hall and as always I'm amazed by the amount of clutter this place has. (See photo above.) It is organized chaos and I really like it even though I'm not a fan of clutter. I look through the antiques and such finding some promising items then turn to the chalkboard menus. Jen the owner has good food. I check the today's special chalkboard and the special is half a sandwich and soup. The soup choices of the day are 15 Bean and Bacon, Tomato Cream and Pasta Fagioli. I decide to stay for lunch and order Pastrami on whole wheat with the Tomato Cream and one of Jen's yummy cookies. The waitress (Jens Mom Vicki) comes back out after taking my order and informs me that they are out of the Tomato. I hate beans... so the next best choice is the Pasta Fagioli.

Lunch

After my quaint lunch I head down to the library and set up shop under the window below the new lawn I helped install earlier this year. Erin and Shauna the Librarian and her assistant are in and I chat with them occasionally. After an hour or more of solid writing the quiet of the Library is interrupted by the Mayor giving a tour. I pack up and head up the street to see if Tricia owner of the The Crazy Horse Trading Post is open, she is and I finish my Christmas shopping for Tara, buying a tile for her. Next is the wine shop and Cindy and Christi are there we catch up I order some wine and then I head to Markos' and sit down next to Max and Drew and proceed to have two beers. Audrey is bar tending and then soon Tricia and Tom come in. I text Nick letting him know which bar I'm at since he should be in cell range soon and coming to town for his evening cocktail.

I have another beer, and it is now dark. Probably time to head home, I pay my tab and head down the street towards the Brick and Nick texts me asking if I'm still at Markos I call him as I round the corner, glancing in the window of the Brick to see if perhaps he has made it there yet. But can't see inside because the curtains are shut. As I walk past Maggie's Pantry I spy his truck simultaneous to his answering my call. He is at the Brick and I stop and change direction cutting through a snowbank to head to the Brick. He is sitting with Brent and Kathleen. Kathleen of the tile that I bought for my niece. Nick and I share a Prime Rib dinner and he orders me a whiskey press. Scotty the bartenders heavy hand has made it and quite suddenly I find myself soused.

We end the night with the lovely glow of Christmas in my own house for the first time in five years; munching on Nick's gourmet popcorn, cuddled on the couch watching Men in Black 3. A couple of days ago as it dumped snow, Nick and I smoked on the porch he grinned and leaned over to give me a hug and said. "Welcome back to winter in Roslyn."

It's not the size that matters.

It's good to be back. Cheers! And I think of the theme song from Cheers and the spot where it says ... 'where everybody knows your name' trickles through my mind as I have spent the day out and about where I know every-bodies name and they know mine.