Daddy's Home

I have bought an orchid at Smith and Hawken, just because I wanted it.

I went to pick Bill up at the airport Tuesday evening. I felt all flustered and excited. I had my best dress on and had taken myself to Origins in a chi chi town center, and let them paint my face with some fabulously expensive cosmetics. As you might guess, this is not something the Copperhead Hunter has ever done. It was cool, though, to surrender myself up to someone young enough to be my daughter and have her decide what looked good on me. Then, feeling guilty, I bought a bag of cosmetics about the size of your average school sack lunch. Origins is smart. They don't put prices on anything. So instead of saying, "How can a little pat of eyeshadow cost $25???" you say, "Gee, you made me look terrific! I'll take that and that and that!" and then they oh so smoothly ring it up and you're wincing inwardly, cooly writing a check for your entire last day's slaving at the drawing table. But you know what? It felt great. Now I'm exfoliating and tonicking my face just like I would imagine Jennifer Aniston does. I finally get it. All those little pots of creams and scrubs and colors and ground up whatevers actually do make you look better ouside, and feel better inside. Oh.

Smith and Hawken has orchids. There's a store right across from Origins. I love those stores. I go in and just bask in all the cool furniture and cachepots and plants and garden ornaments. I have never bought an orchid at S&H, because they're overpriced. There was a shipment, just in from Hawaii, and they had those ridiculous S&H prices on them, and one of them was Encyclia alata. It was tightly in bud and I didn't know what it would look like but I had a hunch it would be wonderful and fragrant to boot. Now it's open and it is fabulous, and it emanates a scent like honey when the eastern sun hits it in the morning. So I have had my face done at Origins, and bought a full-price orchid at Smith and Hawken, just because I wanted it. See the theme here?

When Bill got off the airplane, he said it looked like a scene from Beauty and the Beast. Poor thing had been in transit for 30 hours. Brutal. But he looked real good to me. Since I'd blown my wad on makeup and orchid, we went to Steak and Shake for dinner. He's ordering a double steakburger platter here, and mighty happy about it. I'm just watching him, hardly able to believe he's finally home.
My three boys are very happy to be together on the couch, where there is plenty of leg room.

Smell their heads, and do the best you can.

Happy parents, reunited, laughing our heads off because the cameraman (Liam) is so darn cute, with the camera strap dangling in front of the lens, holding it crooked, kind of knock-kneed. Looks like our overloaded bookshelves are going to topple down over us. Baker chewing away on a Nylabone, delighted to be part of the scene. Crunch, crunch, crunchity crunch.
Since there are so many kisses flying around the house, Baker got up on top of my flat file this afternoon and requested a few for himself. Note cute lips.Kiss me, you fool. You know you want to.