Yesterday morning, Tom dropped me off at the Atelier Beauty School in Hopkins, where Chere and I were scheduled for pedicures at 11:00. On the drive there, Tom offered to stop at Dollar Tree to buy a wine glass for me. I’d looked it up on maps, and there is a store within .4 miles of our hotel.
I’ve noticed that many restaurants in the US don’t have stemmed wine glasses. It’s been trendy in the US to serve wine in short stubby glasses. With how little wine I drink, I like to drink it in a stemmed glass. I thought if I could keep one in my bag when we dine out at locations where I know they don’t have stemmed glasses, I could use my own in such cases.
For me, drinking wine is about the ritual, the feel of the glass in my hand, the aroma, the color, and the taste. None of it feels right to me in a short, stubby glass. Thus, I chose to take the matter into my own hands, literally. Also, with a few bottles of low-alcohol wine left from our month in Arizona and no wine glass in this residence hotel with a full kitchen, buying an inexpensive wine glass was on my radar.
When Tom dropped me off at the beauty school, ten minutes earlier than our appointment time, he noticed a Dollar Tree across the street. How convenient! I was shocked to find a decent-sized wine glass for $1.25. With inflation, Dollar Tree can no longer sell their merchandise for $1.00. I was happy to pay $1.25. There’s hardly anything one can buy for $1.25 these days, not even a pack of gum.
By 11:00, Chere walked in, and we were hurried off to our appointments. The pedicure at Atelier is $24 plus tip as opposed to as much as $65 in regular spas or salons. The two young women who provided our services were professional, friendly, and did a fine job. Since I left my flip-flop sandals in storage at the Marloth Park house, I had to wear the plastic throw-away flip-flops they provided at the facility.
Knowing my polish would be done when we arrived at Jimmy’s Kitchen for lunch, I wore the neon green flip-flops into the restaurant carrying my shoes in my hand. My toes would be dry by the time we finished lunch, and I apologized to the hostess for my choice of footwear. No one noticed. No one cared.
The lunch was delicious, and the conversation with Chere was delightful, as always. I love having an opportunity for “girl talk” while we are in the US, which is sorely lacking in some countries worldwide. Of course, with many friends in Marloth Park, there are many opportunities for lunch with “my girls.” I have many more such lunches planned while we are in the US.
Speaking of Jimmy’s Kitchen, we are going out with old friends and neighbors, Sue, Nelleke, and Dave, with a 5:00 pm reservation. First, we’ll pick up Sue at Friendship Village, a lovely retirement community in nearby Minnetonka, and then head to Jimmy’s, where we’ll meet up with Nelleke and Dave. This is the same restaurant where we dined together last September when we were in the US for a few weeks.
Last night, we watched another basketball game with the Minnesota Timberwolves. They lost the first three games of a seven-game series. If they hadn’t won last night, the potential of going further on to the playoffs would have been over. Much to our delight and surprise, they won, and game five will be on Thursday night.
We’re looking forward to watching it. Tom will go to grandson Vincent’s skeet shooting contest on Thursday evening but will watch the game balance when he returns to the hotel.
There are no big plans for today until dinner later on. Today will be another quiet day in the hotel.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, May 29, 2014:
