Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Tea Stands for Magic at the Cemetery



The weather was so nice three days after Mother's Day and we had nothing planned so it seemed a good time to go to the cemetery to visit my folks.

Before we left, I packed Ma's giant, all-purpose scissors in my bag. Since the cemetery is near Springfield, Massachusetts, I chose an homage to Springfield's favorite son, Dr. Seuss (Ted Geissel) Himself had given me an empty soda bottle because he said when he went to visit his parents' the water in the cemetery hadn't been turned on. On the way, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a posey of flowers.

As I was at the trunk (boot) getting ready to trim the floral stems, a couple of ladies stopped by to see what was going on. They chatted about the weather and as they watched what I was doing, one of the ladies said, "I hope you have some water, because..."
 I held up the soda bottle. "I brought my own."
"Oh, I thought that was ginger ale."
"Well, it was her beverage of choice."
They smiled, wished us a nice day, and continued on their walk


Entering the cemetery, there was a committal ceremony taking place so I couldn't take pictures. This is one of the flowering trees at the Columbarium across from the area where my folks are.


Funny to see the ginger ale bottle in the photo
Ginger ale was always on the table at any of the family functions.



Flower always brought to Ma and placed on her side of the stone. Dad would have wanted it that way, but I grabbed a couple of stems and laid them at Dad's place.


While I was walking to the grave, Himself said he saw a male cardinal fly into the copse that marks the border of this section of the cemetery. I always associate cardinals with my parents. They loved feeding and watching the birds and after my parents passed, I began seeing cardinal pairs, a male and female. Ma and Dad as my parents did everything together.

I couldn't see the cardinal, but I could hear him singing. Dad loved to sing and he had a beautiful voice. When he retired he took singing lessons from an opera singer. Dad sang in his church choir and with his Senior Center's glee club, the Goldenaires. He later became the director of the his Senior center group.


That morning as I was getting dressed, I was debating between two necklaces and chose the one with the cardinal

After the cemetery we planned on stopping for late lunch/early dinner at the Cracker Barrel, but we were chatting and laughing and Himself missed the exit. He briefly debated turning around, but he was hungry so we headed home and stopped at


The Longhorn Steakhouse at the mall.


Himself had a Coke. I had a raspberry iced tea with lemon. The waitress brought us some bread while we waited for our meal. Oh, note the strawberry shortcake on the dessert menu. I got a slice to go, but forgot to take a picture.


We started with cheesy, stuffed mushrooms


A salad. I asked for mine without nasty cheese


I had a surf and turf: Renegade steak with Prairie Dusting, grilled shrimp on a bed with rice. I didn't realize the shrimp came with rice. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ordered the baked sweet potato. No matter lots of food leftover and no cooking the following day.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth’s blog to find out what the rest of the T gang is up to. If you want to play, include a beverage or beverage container in your post. Don’t forget to link your blog from Bleubeard and Elizabeth’s page.

37 comments:

  1. Your food looks great, it's always good when there's enough left over for the next day! I like the bottle at the cemetery, it's like sharing a drink, great! Happy T Day, Valerie

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    1. Too bad the cemetery doesn't allow picnicking. Ma really would have liked tea and cookies

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  2. How sweet you are to commemorate your parents with their favorite things.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  3. My husband and I stop at Longhorn for lunch frequently because their lunches are good sized and you get a choice of your side, including a good salad. And nice you visited your parents. My mother always had ginger ale in the house too, and always Schwepp's . (Did I spell that right?) It looks like a nice day out, and a nice little ride too. I hope you have a great T day and enjoyed those left overs. hugs-Erika

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    1. I like Longhorn because I'm pretty much a plain Jane when it comes to eating so I can get food without spicy hot. And no cooking! Yup, Schwepp's or Canada Dry ginger ale was always in the house. Whichever one was on sale! 😺

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  4. How wonderful to visit and leave those pretty flowers! The cemetery looks so lovely and well kept too. I loved the memories you shared, you're dad must have been an amazing singer and the red cardinal is such a lovely symbol to remember him by 😁. That meal looks so yummy, you always choose the most delicious things from the menu. Happy T Day! Hugs Jo x

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    1. Dad had an amazing voice. His signature solo was the Ave Maria.

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  5. What a lovely coincidence about the red cardinal. It all fits together. It's nice your parents are buried, so you have a place to go and pay your respects. Nowadays everyone gets cremated and that feels different.
    Your meal looks delicious.
    Happy T-Day,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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  6. Just heard the news that Longhorn Steakhouse is coming to my town! Woohoo!! ANOTHER steakhouse... but hey maybe they'll offer some variety.. Your food looks GOOD! Nice of you to visit your parents graves and bring flowers.. Now that we are back in TX i ask my husband if he wants to visit his parents graves but he says no.. Happy T day! Hugs! deb

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    1. My brother doesn't visit my parents' graves just me.

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  7. It's a beautiful and well kept looking cemetery. So nice that you are able to get there and pay homage to your beloved parents on occasion. Love the ginger ale story.
    Haven't been to a Longhorn restaurant in a long time- looks really good! Happy T day!

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    1. They are buried in one of the state's veterans cemeteries. The grounds are pristine. I'm sure the day after I leave flowers, the bouquet would be collected and thrown away. Nothing unsightly on the grounds.

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  8. Looks like a beautiful day you had to visit, and I love the ginger ale there too, like you were sharing it with them. Happy T Day! Elle/EOTC xx

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    1. The weather was perfect that day which prompted us to make the trip

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  9. What a lovely day! And no cooking is the BEST!

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    1. I'd run up there to visit every day if I didn't have to cook 😺

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  10. Good you feel comphy visiting your parents like that.
    I can not. I have pics of them hanging here, when they were still healthy (both died of cancer). Isn´t it so sad they all had to leave too early.
    Yummy food to make up for it, happy T-Day.

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    1. I think Ma would haunt me if I didn't go visit 😺

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  11. This is such a sweet and heartfelt post. I love what you told us about your parents and how you commemorate them. How extraordinary that you heard the cardinal when you were visiting. And I love that bottle of ginger ale on your mom's grave. - Those cheesy stuffed mushrooms look yummy!

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  12. Your day at the cemetery must have been perfect. Great weather, nice flowers for your mother and a visit to your dad, too. It seems some people have a second life after they retire.

    Your meal looks good, but that steak looks really well done. Sorry. I like rare.

    Thanks for sharing your trip to the cemetery and the steakhouse with us for T this Tuesday, dear CJ.

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    1. Dad was very busy during his "retirement". He was an attorney so he helped advise the seniors at his senior center: wills, taxes. He was active in town politics as a Town Meeting Member, but his first love was singing. The steak was cooked medium well. It looks burnt but that's the char from their Prairie Dust rub.

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  13. What a lovely day and what a heartwarming way to honor your parents. Loved it.
    Hugs

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    1. We had a really nice day and I had a good visit

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  14. We love Longhorns! Looks like a great meal after your visit to the cemetery. Happy T Day!

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  15. So comforting when we have something magical happen at the cemetary. Loved reading about it and seeing the pictures, CJ. Brought a tear to my eye. Great looking food and drink too. Happy T-day bit late and many hugz

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    1. Just proves that loved ones are always with us.

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  16. oh wow the food, wow. looks so good. What a sweet thing to do to visit your parents gravesites. My dad was cremated and my mom was buried back in 1985...I only went twice. Instead i just talk to her in my mind but I like the idea of paying visits.. Really nice post and i enuoyed reading it. For some reason ...don't ask me why. While reading your post I thought of the scene at the dinner table in Blue Bloods where they meet every Sunday. I guess it came because the way you talk about your parents feels good and I love Blue Bloods - their family.

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    1. I try to visit a couple of times during the year. Around their July 4 anniversary, Sept. 2. for Ma's birthday, and just after Thanksgiving and before the weather gets bad to bring a Christmas wreath. Other than that, I talk to my parents every day.

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  17. What a good day. Thank you for inviting us

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  18. The cardinal was there for a reason! My Mum was a ginger ale fan too. Seeing the bottle gave me some happy memories too! Your meal looks great - even better to have leftovers! Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx

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    1. I'm all for no cooking so restaurant leftovers are the best

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