Oasis and a sleepover

This morning, as I was lying in bed wondering if more sleep would come my way (once you start wondering, the answer is usually "no, not likely"), I say to Ed -- in these two weeks of free time, we never once went out for breakfast, like we said we would.

You want to go today?

The answer to that is yes and I vote for bicycles! To Paul's, which I should properly call Oasis, as both Paul and Kim own and run the place.

It always takes a while to feed the animals and set the day on course... 

(the girls, refusing to leave their favorite shady spot under the lilac)

... but by 9:30, I'm at the station, releasing my rental B-cycle from its stand and Ed has pedaled over on his regular bike and we are off!

Most of the time, he trails behind. For the first time in known history, I am faster on the uphills than mr. biking demon himself.

And it's grand to be at Oasis (a 20 minute ride, the long way, on bike trails). Kim is there today and I see their menu is adjusted once again, offering some tempting breakfast specials.

(eating outside)

We share a mushroom spinach tomato and cheese frittata -- made to order. Organic eggs and produce, with whole grain bread -- it really is delicious! And so reasonably priced (we have to knock off a few dollars because we're not "Madison:" people expect to pay less out here!). And, they have Madison Sourdough treats too. We split a cinnamon nut roll.

We talk about the new coffee shop that is slated to open in the new development next to us. Much as I am looking forward to it being so close, I do know that a good coffee shop that also sells good breakfast or lunch foods and has space so that you dont feel crowded -- this is a rare thing. I can't think of many spots in town that check off all those boxes. Oasis is indeed special. I ask Kim if she considered opening another branch.

Not worth it, she tells me. Cant get the staff, cant be in two places at once. And she tells me it's not the locals, living in the area that are her regulars. It's the people who work in nearby offices. 

And again I think back to the years I was still teaching at UW and the countless times Ed and I would meet up at Oasis after I was done for the day. Is it true that I will never be a regular at the new development's cafe? Does it take work to get you out of the house more often?

In the afternoon, I pick up Snowdrop at her UW class (she's finishing up her second week at GEM (Growing Early Minds) Badger Precollege). 

We come to the farmhouse just for a very short while. 

It is my job today to pick up the boys at their school and take the whole lot of them home. The parents are away for a quick overnight. I'm filling in, hoping that I can get them all ready and delivered to their respective schools tomorrow morning.

After a long day of play, I'm not ambitious tonight. I do want to offer something whacky just to make it special and so we start dinner with dessert. Ice cream. Hey, it's nutritious.

After the meal itself, there's time for some play, for books at least for the two older kids (while the youngest chills with his instrument...).

I'd say Sparrow was the most worn out from a long day...

... but he rallied after dinner and all three were about as agreeable about bedtime as you'd ever want kids to be.

In the meantime, let me sign off and chase the resident cats off the bed and make sure the kids are asleep and put away some of the stuff that needs to be put away downstairs. The usual stuff that parents do 365 (in this case 364) days out of the year.

With so much love...