Water With Lemon Please

Its said that if you die in Texas, before you can go to Heaven or the other place, you have to go through either Dallas or Houston. Goodness knows if you want to fly out of the State this is certainly true. Those are our two hubs. When Mate an I go to California, we can oft times come out cheaper flying to Dallas from our home and connecting on to California; If we drive to Dallas and fly out, we have to get up early, pay parking for four or more days and then when we return we have to drive back home when we are really tired and it is dark and we are old....and so forth and so forth Also you can mark it up that Mate and I will have an argument on the way to the airport and on the way home. That would be because I am sure to stop at Starbucks and order a speciality drink for which we will pay in the neighborhood of $4.50, This will put Mate in a bad mood from Decatur all the way to the airport. This doesn't take into account the fact that on the way home from the airport I will cajole until we have stopped at Joe's Crab Shack. He doesn't mind stopping or what I order. BUT, at Joe's, I will order iced tea.

I need to explain about Mate and drinks ordered at eating establishments. He is against them. For over 57 years I have heard the same argument about how much tea you can make for what they charge for a single glass or how much coffee you can buy for what is charged for a single cup. And don't even mention Starbucks to him. He is against it.

I really don't order tea at every meal even though it is my drink of choice. As you know if you have followed along with me, Mate and I do eat out a lot. Therefore, I know all the places where the tea, in my judgment, is worth ordering For instance: Red Lobster, always order iced tea at Red Lobster, Second best in our City, They even have blue sweetner and I don't have to use my own that is always in my purse for emergencies. Cheddars and Applebees. Don't even think about it. No blue packets and the tea just is not that good. Long John Silver is pretty good but they have the pink stuff so i use my blue packets. Number one, best tea in town, hands down winner, Subway Sandwich Shop. It is ( in my not so humble opinion) the best in our City. BUT, again you have to use your own blue sweetner.

Most people think eating out is easy. Not so. It takes a vast amount of knowledge and planning, I just happen to be one of the educated ones who has a lot of experience and knows my way around a menu. Mate always orders water with lemon and if no one is looking he will make lemonade. Not long ago at a favorite restaurant, he told the young waiter he needed a lot of lemon because he was going to make lemonade. Young waiter comes back to the table with a glass of lemonade and sets it down; tells Mate that he remembers last time and its easier to bring him lemonade than to clean up the table, Mate has also learned how to get around a menu.

I usually know what I am going to order at any given place and I am pretty sure what Mate will order. Neither one of us is big on change. I don't dare tell him what I know he is going to order because just to prove me wrong he will order something else. Then of course, he is not happy with his meal. See this is complicated and we have worked out all these bugs over the years. We eat at a place that serves among other items, Mexican food with french fries, Mates favorite meal. Its one of my least favorite places, but I will go anywhere. Just as long as I don't have to put it together at home,

So the next time you hear that we are flying to California to see the kids, you can pretty well bet that we are either at the Wichita Falls Municipal Airport, or at Joe's Crab Shack drinking iced tea.