Pancake Breakfast

October 6, 1991

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I'm ready to be a stay-in-bed lazybones for awhile until JoAnna suggests that I join the rest of the family at the breakfast table.  She serves up an encore of yesterday's offering:  pancakes.

The day starts out overcast and cool; by midday the sky has cleared but the air remains cool.  I venture outside and do a little yard work:  cutting down the peonies, pulling up the beans, collecting the wind-blown debris from the silver maples.  Nothing major.

JoAnna prepares a shrimp stirfry for supper which Andy, surprisingly, find appetizing.  He especially likes the baby corns.

I spend most of the evening, as I did a good portion of the afternoon, reading Rabbit at Rest.  Throughout the day I have wondered if I'm spending enough time with Andy, if I'm becoming too distant as a dad, too concerned about having time to myself.

October 5, 1991

Andy sleeps in the middle of the bed for the most part, which doesn't do too much to cramp my sleeping style, fortunately.  Eddie wakes up early so there is no opportunity to sleep in.  I fix pancakes for breakfast and hope that Barb will keep herself holed up in the guest room -- I really do emphasize that word nowadays -- until we three boys clear ourselves out of the kitchen.  It's not to be, but I put on a happy face anyway.

At 10:30 we go grocery shopping.  Barb accompanies us, taking advantage of a (rare) opportunity to get out of the house.  And so her rotting life goes.

I try to spend some time with Rabbit at Rest during the afternoon.  I also make a special trip alone to Brennan's to buy a sirloin tip roast (dinner) and a pound of shrimp for a possible appetizer.  I try to call JoAnna on her car phone to see if a deluxe dinner without guests is warranted.  She is either out of range or the power button is off.  I go ahead with my plans.  Dinner is superb.  The roast is done more medium than medium-rare -- but I was only following the Time-Life cookbook instruction.  Along with the meat course, I prepare boiled red potatoes, spaghetti squash and broccoli.  Am I a catch or what!  I even clean up afterwards.  JoAnna is very tired, but I manage to read 30 pages of my favorite author's latest book before dozing off.