most of my favorite things

I had the best time with Jason this past Saturday. Jason called to see if I wanted to join him for breakfast on Saturday morning. We went to Eastern Market and split an order of incredible blue bucks (blueberry buckwheat pancakes) and fried fish and grits. I took a few pictures of the beautiful flowers and we walked around the craft booths to see what was for sale.

Then we went to my favorite big box store Target for a few staples. Afterwards we went to his house to explore his latest discovery – the new Comcast Karaoke On-Demand feature. Fortunately for me, Henry and I had practiced singing George Michael’s Freedom a couple of times on our latest trip home. Jason was a well-known singer during his college days. I will stop there. But he is singing in several spots across Europe this summer. (Very exciting, Jason! I am so proud of you.)

And of course, I could not resist sitting down to play a few songs on his keyboard. Slowly but surely I was able to play the basic songs featured in the back of the manual. I did use both hands. Maybe Mrs. Neal was watching over me somewhat proud that I still know how to play a basic chord. Although I haven’t practiced in almost 20 years now. Then the fun really began.

Jason just moved from Baltimore to Arlington a little over a month ago. We just started talking casually about what he could do. Then he asked that we just decide where to hang his pictures. A large cardboard box of prints stood behind his couch. That was all it took. We started with the gold mirror next to the corner and worked from there. We pulled a small cabinet out of his closet and added a plant for color. I still think that is my favorite space in the room. Once we hung the pictures in the corner and pulled a cabinet from the closet, we hung a few more pictures and rearranged the bookshelf at the door. By walking around the apartment, we discovered pieces that worked perfectly. I took down some things that I wasn’t crazy about and replaced them with others.

Finally we tackled the fireplace. We moved all of the TV components to the left side of the TV, leaving a large welcoming space on the mantel for visitors when they enter the room. Jason has a great collection of Buddhas, especially the teeny incense holder. One is a bright red candle that I kept trying to stick in different spots around the room. He said no each time. Finally it found a subtle home as it somewhat blends in with the red background on the dog print. We added his ivy plant to hide the side of the TV. The ivy was on top of the space between the cabinets in his ceiling. So Jason knelt while I stood on his leg to get the plant. That is probably the closest I have ever come to performing a cheerleading stunt. How exciting!

Jason repaid me by buying me a turkey basil pesto Frescata sandwich from Wendy’s – another favorite. By the time I got home, I was exhausted so I took a nap on the couch. What a perfect day!