surprised

It's very hard to surprise someone who is part of your family but lives with her own family, even as you see her practically every day. Things slip out. Like for example your sweetie will say something inadvertently revealing. Or, you will send a text confirming something to the wrong person. You then have to lie your way out of that one. Or her kids will find something in your house that's supposed to be part of the surprise. I mean, how many ways can you accidentally spill the beans on a surprise? In the end though, I think we pulled it off! We surprised her! Here's what happened:

The Chicago portion of the family wanted to do something special for my Madison daughter this weekend. The idea formed that they should  show up unexpectedly for a birthday dinner with her (she turns forty Sunday). Great plan! Then came the practicalities. My birthday girl is expecting a farmhouse meal today. Sunday evening is booked with another event. Too, the kids are bad secret keepers. And, of course, there's Covid, so we have to plan carefully. Outside eating only. People have vulnerabilities and there are kids.

We arranged it all: the dinner, the cake, the brunch the next day. Lots to do in preparation for the arrival of the Chicagoan tribe. And of course there are the gifts, the flowers, the brunch foods. Then my birthday girl, innocently unaware of all this, tells me she'd love to go to the pool on Saturday. Just me and her and the kids.

Gulp! Well okay! I can do that! Clean garden very early, do market, rush to pool. Come home, possibly with a kid in tow, feed lunch, drive child home so that I can, behind their backs, run for the cake (it's being baked elsewhere), decorate it, and clean up the house for soon to be visiting younger daughter and family. Phew! So far so good!

And then comes the big moment where my son-in-law drives the birthday family ostensibly to the farmhouse, but then he veers off to the restaurant where we all shout -- Surprise!

She was genuinely surprised. Shocked actually. And it was a beautiful evening! At Quivey's Grove, where we used to go for special dinners many, many years (decades?) ago, when it used to be "in the country." Now it's flanked by superhighways and strip malls, but the space is still very large and very green. Day one of a weekend of celebrations! Photos will help put color and texture to the day:

 

1. morning garden clean up. The tall lilies alone generate some 40 or 50 blooms each day. Snip, snip, clip, snip!

Somewhere in this pot of herbs and nasturtium, there is a strawberry plant with a ripening strawberry. See it? What are the chances that a cheeper wont find it? None.

 

 

 

Waiting... She's not in any hurry!

 

 

 

Definitely a late summer display:

 

 

 

Only in nature do purple and pink go so well together with red and orange!

 

 

 

The Big Bed: still a canvas of color, albeit a more delicate painting now...

 

 

 

2. Breakfast: Ed! Get down here!

Watching the monarchs over breakfast...

3. To market: those two bouquets are going home with me!

4. The Goodman pool: So empty today...

5. Can I come to the farmhouse for lunch? Sure you can!

 

 

 

6. Cake: pick up at bakery, decorate at the farmhouse. My pansies are edible! The kids sampled them earlier. Snowdrop said they taste like asparagus!

 

 

7. The arrival of the Chicago young family: they come to the farmhouse before we all head out for dinner.

 

 

 

 Leaving for Quivey's Grove...

 

 

8.  At the restaurant: waiting for the arrival of the soon to be surprised birthday girl. Shirley Temple cocktail anyone?

 

They're here! Stunned at this turn of events! Hey, Shirley Temple cocktail, anyone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a large field by our table. Could it be more perfect for the kids?

 

 

 

But of course, the birthday dinner is the main attraction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...

 

 

 Happy birthday dear older daughter...

Happy birthday to you...

 

I always said that birthdays create opportunities for us to let go of the everyday for just a little bit and take stock of the extraordinary, the wonderful stuff in our lives. Both young families here for the birthday weekend is nothing short of sublime. Happy birthday celebrations to us all, happy birthday (well, tomorrow!) to the amazing daughter who started it all -- family life, played out over four decades of beautiful adventures!

With love indeed...