Dear Friends,
After freezing our asses off getting gas, we stayed in the car until we got almost to Brian and Mandy’s house around 12:30PM on Monday October 17. I needed to gas up so I wouldn’t have to worry about it when I left on Wednesday, get some ice, and just steel my nerves a bit. It was cold in Rockford, and I was nervous about the weather for the rest of the drive in a few days.
Mandy had messaged us while we were on the road and seemed nervous about Bailey meeting their cats. This made me a bit nervous, too, as being the caretaker of a nervous dog, I can understand what it feels like to be worried about the safety of your pet. Mark and I talked options just in case things went south, but nothing came of it.
Brian and Mandy have a lovely home at the end of a long dirt road that edges a cornfield. They are bordered by a few other houses and a railroad track. It’s a very cool house and they have made it super cozy. I felt so relieved to be there. It was great to see them both, of course, and even better to know I was off the road the for a day and a half.
Mark and I were able to decompress from being in the car so long and unwind. Our friend, Justin, was also there and his dog, Osa, befriended Bailey right away. It was super cold, though, so we stayed in the house and just chatted the afternoon away.
There was lots of snacking, of course, and laughing. We came up with a great song title for a band concept I am thinking about doing (and no, I don’t want to start a new band… maybe someday). It’s more of a way to entertain myself and I was happy to have help from three of my oldest friends.
If you combine the amount of years I have been friends with Justin (33), Mark (37), and Brian (36), it adds up to over a century. That blows me away. It also speaks to the extreme comfort level I felt in being in their presence. I was excited to spend my birthday with those guys the following day and just enjoyed being able to relax.
We took the dogs out pretty often and they got to running around the big yard between the main house and the working barn on the property. At one point when I was outside, snowflakes were starting to fall. I was talking to Rhondi on the phone, and it was kind of amazing. It’s been a while since I was snowed on and even though they didn’t stick, it was cool.
We got some Thai food and turned in relatively early, especially for us. I got a good night sleep and Bailey crashed out on a bed that had been owned by Brian and Mandy’s dog, Puff, who was an exceptional beast. There was a heat vent right behind the dog bed, so Bailey wasn’t moving. Just having her back for a few days reminded me of how much I enjoy having her laying against my legs in the night. It’s a small thing, but it is also one of those things that allows you to breathe a little easier or feel a little more loved.
It was nice to wake up knowing it was my birthday. That’s a fun feeling, right? It feels like the day belongs to you, or in my case, me and I treated it as such. Mandy made some coffee, and it tasted so good. I don’t drink coffee very often, but it is a nice treat and the blend they had was tasty. Everyone kept asking what I wanted to do, and I had the same answer: relax.
Our buddy, Matt, who lives in a suburb outside of Chicago came over and it was great to see him. Matt and I lived together at the Polka Dot pad, and it had been a few years since I had seen him. We hung out for a bit so Brian could finish up some work in the barn and they we got to see his facilities. He has a great set up and it’s no wonder he is a success at what he does.
We headed into Rockford proper to get something to eat and found a place that Brian had heard about. It was a bar, basically, with a fairly extensive sandwich and burger menu. Our first waitress was in training, so we got passed off to another gal, and that was a bummer. The second gal didn’t seem to give two shits about whether or not we were happy with our experience.
Also, the first gal kind of looked like she was going for a Joan Crawford meets Edith Beale (remember that weird Grey Gardens doc?) kind of thing. At first, I thought she might have been born a ‘he’ who was into some sort of transition process (full support for that, of course), but that was not the case. This was just a very interesting individual with a flair for 1940’s style eye makeup.
After lunch, we walked around the town for a bit, saw some cool art, and got coffee before we walked to the river. It was a little cold for my taste, but it was nice to be stretching our legs and hanging out. Before too long, though, we decided to head back to Brian’s and hang out for the rest of the day.
Matt’s son, Dylan, joined us for a while and brought a nice Scottish Ale they had made together. It was super tasty and much better than the Pretzel City Amber I had at the restaurant. I had almost forgotten about that weird beer that did kind of taste like a pretzel. It was cool to see Dylan as I hadn’t seen him for a long time.
All in all, it was a great birthday and just what I needed. The only thing that could have made it better was having Rhondi and the kids there and maybe a few other friends. One day, though. I look forward to visiting Brian and Mandy again.
See you tomorrow.
Some art from Illinois. I didn't get the name of the gal who painted this, but her work was pretty cool.
Comments