Alas for sleeping late on Saturday, as we were bound and determined to attend the Farmer's Market, which is now all year 'round. We bought chicken salad and goat cheese, but skipped a pot pie since we had bought a turkey one at Trader Joe's yesterday. The weather had changed during the night and this morning it was misty, chilly, and damp. The parking lot was full because the Marietta Tour of Homes was taking place this weekend, but we actually found a parking space on the Square. Too bad we didn't have time to walk around and see the decorations.

Once we had brought the food home and put it away, it was time to be off: we loaded my car with belated birthday and Mother's day packages and a birthday gift for Candy, and with a Christmas package, and drove down to Warner Robins, since James' sister Sherii and her husband Bobby were in from South Carolina for the weekend. We listened to a Travel with Rick Steves Christmas episode and The Splendid Table on the way down. My Lord, was I sleepy; James had to keep me awake all during the I-475 cutoff and to Warner Robins.

Had a nice afternoon sitting and catching up, especially on such a grey, rainy day. The only fault we had was going out to eat together at Cheddar's. The food was okay, but the waitress was not good at all. She forgot to put in two orders (ironically the two orders of the two people who hadn't eaten yet, although they did have an appetizer), forgot Sherii's baked potato and James' onions-and-mushrooms, and all three salads. She also spilled part of James' drink on his sister Sabra's head and then patted it, saying "You're not wet," and never cleaned the used glasses off the table, so that we finally had eight accumulated on a very small table for eight people! Sabra finally complained when she and Lee didn't get their food, and the waitress even mouthed off to the shift manager. The manager actually comped the whole table.

When we got back to the house there was birthday cake for myself and for Candy; our birthdays are one day apart.

Now, we found out that the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company was only presenting "An Atlanta Christmas" one weekend this year; usually it is two weekends. We couldn't go on Sunday because we were going to the bird show, and what if we brought home a bird? Besides, the Academy Theatre's new venue is in Stockbridge, south of town. So what better thing to do but leave about six and see the show tonight?

On the way back we listened to another Splendid Table and a story about decorating Williamsburg at Christmas, and, even though the GPS slightly overshot us, we found the Stockbridge Arts Center quite easily, and it's a very nice venue—the theatre was almost too warm! The first act was more familiar tales, and the second half had two new pieces, a Bumpers Crossroads comedy about "Ernie, the Christmas Snail" (Grandpa telling tales to the children) and A Rory Rammer: Space Marshal, "A Visit from St. Rex." Clair and Daniel Kiernan, who do the two-character piece "Are You Lonely Tonight?" about two office workers at the annual party, made a funny change to the ending that had me roaring with laughter. And then next was the "Christmas truce" story, "O Tannenbaum," which always makes me cry. Ron Butler performed the lead role, Richard, and he said he just read the words Thomas Fuller wrote. No, no, no. Even the best words must be performed expertly, as anyone who remembers Russell Means' disappointing performance of Chief Joseph's moving "I shall fight no more forever" speech on the "And How" episode of Remember WENN. (Not to mention Kevin Bacon's howlingly lackluster reading of the last line of the live performance of Mister Roberts on NBC in 1984.)

By the time we arrived home, we were bushed, but there was cause for celebration. We knew we would be gone a long time today, so, while we left Willow's "pee pad" set up in the bathroom, we did not lock her up. When we arrived home she had used the pad at least twice, and had made no accidents on the rug. Now we will try it on Monday.

Labels: Christmas, dogs, events, family, pets, travel

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 11:54:00 PM

Comments:

Er...what? So what do you do when you receive bad service at a restaurant?

# posted by  Linda : 12:20:00 PM

 

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