Living with Seniors...the eating out fiasco!

Oh my goodness, how do we go about eating out with eight old people (including ourselves). That would be four couples, all from a different part of the United States, California, Oregon, Wisconson, Ohio...how do we do that?

Last evening we went out to a brewpub here in Tucson, AZ. The group that owns the restaurant has a real warehouse location and has now opened a restaurant in a trendy area here on the Eastside. It is a very, very busy popular place. Reservation would be recommended...but we did not know that. The restaurant, Nimbus Brewery Restaurant, serves your normal brewpub food along with grilled salmon, grilled tuna salad etc. Let me tell you right now the restaurant serve staff and the manager did everything they could to make us happy. It is just very hard when you get a group of people like us. Very, very difficult. Here is how it went:

There was an hour wait for a table inside. The only seating available was outside...my husband and I were the only two people wearing coats.
We were told we had to be done in 1 1/2 hrs. because of reservations on the outside table they found for us. It was our problem because we came to eat with 8 people without reservations. We promised to eat fast....we did not promise to decide what to eat fast!
One woman did not drink beer. We were at a brew pub. She finally decided to ordered wine.
Another woman was fearful that the beer would not taste good and needed a taster. She did not like the one she tried. It tasted like bitter beer! (She even made a face!) It made me laugh.
Two people ordered the tuna salad but would not eat the tuna...it was rare.
The meal arrived before the $25 appetizer tray.
The waiter told the man that was treating that his coupon from Restaurant.com was not valid (manager straightened this out).
The coupon was only valid if we ordered $100 worth...most menu items were between $9-10. I did not bring my iphone so had to figure in my head what we needed to order. It was hard.
Older people do not want to spend $9-10 even if they are not paying for it.
The heater kept turning off.
Husbands went to the car and brought back coats and blankets.
We looked like campers huddled around the camp fire.
The left overs from the appetizer tray were moved to a take home box...no one could see what was left on the tray because by that time it was very dark.
My husband and I laughed all the way home.

Meantime a group of younger people...the ones that our table was reserved for...were seated at another table. They were dress in sweatshirts and jeans. They moved a couple of the heaters closer and were busy partying as we left. The restaurant was still totally crammed and laughter could be heard when the waiters opened the doors.

I kept hearing the words of Gilda Radner in my ears. She would have said, "It's always something!" Obviously she spent a great deal of time around old people! If I had not laughed I would have cried! Sigh!

Have a wonderful day!

b

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

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If You Build It, They Will Come...Maybe!

It all began with a antique window in front of a local shop. It had been painted yellow, the glass was loose and all of the hinges and latches were gone. My old friend Betty would have approved...she would tell me it was just broken enough and damaged enough for me to drag it home. When my dear husband saw it, he wondered what he was meant to do with it. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the plan to build a small neighborhood library exchange. It wasn't the first time he had heard me ask "How hard could it be?" Now it is six weeks later and we mounted the darling little library exchange on two posts in our front yard. I love it. Now the question is, will they come or has the time passed when people actually read something made of paper? Our association president stopped by and admired the box but left after telling me that he only read books on his Kindle. We will see. Would you bring a book and take a book? b+

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