Versatile Duct Tape

It was a year and a couple of months ago that Kathy decided to add an interesting element to our Cousins Days. She suggested that we each contribute $5 each time we meet and that we save it over a year or so and when we had enough accumulated, we would all have a fancy dinner out somewhere. The person who had won the most games at that point would get to keep the change, if there was any.

It was either last Cousins Day or the one before that when she counted it and found that we had accumulated $225 so it was time to go to dinner. We didn't have Cousins Day last month, so this was going to be the time.

When we arrived at my mother's, we found her in a state. She's had an invasion of flies, and as we heard many times over the past day, she hates flies.

Her upset was understandable, since when this infestation started, she opened the door to her guest bathroom and found it filled with big, fat, lazy buzzing flies. She got some poison, filled the room with the spray and shut the door for several hours, after which she found a room full of dead flies.

But they are still around. She doesn't know how they got in, because she says the door is never opened, but someone obviously got in to lay eggs and the offspring are probably also laying eggs. She spent the day with flyswatter (circled) in hand, chasing the flies that dared to land on her window or table. She has an eagle eye and quick reflexes and I almost entitled this entry "Seven in one blow," except the most she ever killed at one time was six. Maybe next time.

After coffee and lunch, we cleared the table to start the "65" marathon. SOMEBODY got out her sack of money. If it gets much heavier, we're going to have to bring a machine to carry it for her. Harumph.

This wasn't her Cousins Day, though. My mother and I won all the games we played over the two days. She won more than I did, but the last game we played this morning was amazing. The best play was the last round, where I got such a good hand that I was able to go out on my first chance to play, leaving everybody with lots of points in their hand.

heh heh heh

Kathy took a nap in the afternoon while my mother, Peach and I played Canasta, which my mother won. She almost always wins at Canasta. Then we had a quick vodka & tonic before leaving for our big dinner.

Kathy got out the bag of money, counted it, and $40 was missing. We don't know what happened to it, because we all agreed that the amount she had counted (more than once) was $225. There are only two possibilities--either my mother borrowed the money (which she doesn't remember doing) or someone stole it from her, which is a very depressing thing to contemplate. She's had a lot of visitors over the past two months, but certainly nobody she would like to think would actually steal from her. We had kept it in a plastic bag with all the card supplies and though it wasn't exactly in plain sight, it wasn't hidden either.

But we had enough to cover our dinner, including drinks and dessert, with leftover money for the winner (me). I could have taken home $47, but I'm happy taking home $7 and the pride of knowing I won the most games over the past year. Best of all, we had a wonderful time at dinner.

We ate at the Spinnaker in Sausalito, which has a gorgeous view of San Francisco, and we had a window table. Peach and my mother ordered drinks. Kathy had water and I, the designated driver, also stuck with water. My mother and I each had a crab louis salad, Kathy had salmon and Peach had crab pasta. We all loved our dinner and my creme brulee for dessert was fabulous.

Before we left for the restaurant one of us (who shall remain nameless, because what happens at Cousins Day stays at Cousins Day) took some Scotch tape into the bathroom when she got dressed. We wondered why, but didn't ask. At the restaurant, this person started patting at her chest and when we asked why she was doing that, she explained that she was trying to get the tape to stay stuck.

???

Now, I must explain that Scott women as far back as my grandmother (and possibly before) have been generously endowed in the chestal area. Nobody is going to send us literature about breast augmentation. There was a time, I suppose when we were not only chesty, but perky as well. Now, however, gravity and children having taken their toll we sag where we used to perk.

So this person, who was wearing what the rest felt was a quite tasteful blouse, feared that her decolletage might reveal too much cleavage and, not wanting to unduly arouse the wait staff, says she tapes the sides of her blouse to her skin in order to prevent that from happening. Such a thoughtful person she is.

However, in assessing the situation, another person in the group was moved to remark that given the size of the aforementioned golden globes, mere Scotch tape seemed not quite up to the task and the person might consider using duct tape in the future.

This caused great hilarity among the group and some strange looks from diners at nearby tables. It also insured that none of us is ever going to look at duct tape in quite the same way again!