Musings on a Beautiful Day

It's a beautiful autumn afternoon. On the second day of October (Happy birthday, Dad!), it's 78 degrees outside! It's so windy that our potted plants are blowing around on the front step, but it's a warm wind that reminds me of the hot summer gusts that swept me into and out of the tractor when working in the hillside fields of our farm as a teenager. One neighbor was out watering his flowers this morning, but most neighbors have already taken in their plants and put up their fall-colored or Halloween-themed yard decorations. The trees realize that it's autumn (as evidence, our yard is covered in leaves from our neighbors' trees), but the lawns don't; they're still green and growing (I just mowed ours this past week).

I got out of PRACS this morning after my family had already left for church, so I went to school to get some things ready for tomorrow's classes. Susan and the girls picked me up after church and took me out to eat at Paulo's Restaurant, a new eatery in downtown East Grand Forks (and an already established one in Breckenridge and Fergus Falls). It was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! With the chips,the salsa was served in a small molcajete (mortar, as in "mortar and pestle") and was mild-to-medium and thick with chunks of fresh vegetables. Susan ordered a burrito, which she shared with Abigail and Hillary. Abigail ordered a Mexican pizza, which she shared with Hillary. Suzanna and I shared a seafood chimichanga and ordered a chili relleno on the side. For dessert we all shared an order of sopapillas.

Oh. My. Goodness. My chimichanga was light and crispy, as though wrapped in a donut-like dough. It was packed with real seafood . . . and I mean packed! The beans and rice were delicious, too (two items that I don't usually find too thrilling at Mexican restaurants), as was the chili. The sopapillas were light and wonderful, not greasy and heavy as they are at some other restaurants. Susan and the girls were big fans of the place, too. I hope it does well in its location, a place where several other restaurants have not fared so well (which is so strange to me, because it's right across from a motel, Cabela's, a mall, and several shops, and it's a hop, skip, and a jump away from the restaurants and bars of the boardwalk on the Red River).

This afternoon we called my dad, who is 68 today. We had a good visit about what's been going on with them in McGregor (ND) lately, and he passed on updates about various neighbors and family members from his region. We don't talk on the phone often enough (a lot of our communication is via e-mail, and that is usually via my stepmother Beverly), but when we do, it's always nice to hear his voice again.

This evening Susan and I and the girls are performing in a concert called Songs of Comfort and Hope: A Benefit Concert for Victims of Hurricane Katrina at Calvary Lutheran Church (our church) in Grand Forks (ND). I'll play piano, and the ladies will sing a song called "Hymn of Promise." Afterwards, of course, there will be bars and coffee (it is a Lutheran church, after all). Then my friend Darin and I will go to the late showing of the movie Serenity, which is based on the FOX television series Firefly that was on--and almost immediately cancelled--a few years ago. We were big fans of the series, so we're excited to see the movie.

The play I was directing throughout September, Rapunzel, has ended its run. It was an absolute delight to work with that cast and crew, and the show turned out quite well. The public show on Monday, September 26 had over 200 people in attendance. Then we did three matinees for the elementary schools on Thursday and Friday, September 29 and 30--about another 800 people, I suppose. It will be good to have some of my time back again, but I will miss the energy and positive attitudes of those students at the end of every day.