Date Night

Thursday is the night we reserve exclusively for each other. So tonight he was all mine. To take him a few miles from home, I used the excuse that I wanted that wonderful pasta with shrimp at King's Fish House, but what I really wanted was him all to myself.

So we drove to Victoria Gardens, which is not in Victoria, British Columbia (a lovely place and I'd go there in a heartbeat if we had the opportunity). This Victoria is about 10 or so miles north of our home. It's a lovely open-air shopping district. We used to call these places shopping malls, but then they were all indoors. This one is not indoors. We parked the car across the street from the restaurant, and within minutes we were examining the menu. We've been in restaurants seldom since he started dieting last July, so it is really a treat to go out for a meal.

We thoroughly enjoyed the sour dough bread, the salad we shared, and then he had salmon and I, well, I had angel hair pasta with shrimp, tomatoes, and garlic. His cellphone didn't ring and we knew no one in the restaurant. He was all mine. The food was delicious. I could have eaten it all and licked the plate, but instead I ate half of my entree and brought the other half home for tomorrow.

We exited the dinner house and started walking. The cool brisk air, at moments took my breath away as we strolled to J.C. Penneys to return something my sis had purchased last week when she and I were there. Next we walked to the Williams-and-Sonoma store to exchange a kitchen gadget that had a busted part. Then we stopped in the MAC store to wish and dream and drool. Finally, it was time for the long hike back to the car.

I love date night. Tonight wasn't anything spectacular, but it was exactly what I needed. Just time out of the house . . . tasting, talking, walking . . . with him--only him. Some might think we were rehearsing for Valentine's Day, but actually, we were celebrating it. We celebrate Valentine's Day as often as possible, and occasionally we do it on February 14th (and maybe we will this year).

Here's another of Ted Kooser's Valentine Poem selections:

A Map Of the World

One of the ancient maps of the world
is heart-shaped, carefully drawn
and once washed with bright colors,
though the colors have faded
as you might expect feelings to fade
from a fragile old heart, the brown map
of life. But feeling is indelible,
and longing infinite, a starburst compass
pointing in all the directions
two lovers might go, a fresh breeze
swelling their sails, the future uncharted,
still far from the edge
where the sea pours into the stars.

(I included another of his poems yesterday.)

The first Thursday in February has been nothing less than wonderful.
Thank you eveyone for the fun and meaningful comments yesterday.
Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol