the 'rents

eug's parents ("mom and dad" - weird, still...) came to visit for 4 days. we mostly ate and just sat around...but it was very nice. they're very sweet people. so cute...he still teases her and she still playfully hits him. and they still hold hands...

eug had to do a bit of work on saturday so i took them shopping. i now see that he has actually inherited his crazy salesperson-interrogating-skills. he also gets his guilt-free-walk-away from them. after spending at least 15 minutes testing out a leg and foot massager and grilling the salesgirl on such things as warranties and even delivery, they leave without buying...but because the girl is very nice, and they're very cute and funny, there are no hard feelings...

we then stop to enquire about a carry-on piece of luggage. again, after having the salesperson open it and close it and open it and close it, and testing the handle several times - mom just found it too difficult and could not accept the jamming (another 15-20 mins)...there is no sale. but, unlike when eug does this, the salespeople are always left smiling still. i think when you get old, you've earned the privilege of asking a dozen questions and not buying.

but, the real comedy comes in at the last stop we made in the beds and linens dept...i know we spent at least an hour with the saleslady (prob more like 1.5)...not that anyone seemed to mind - i didn't. i was having fun watching them feel the material. compare the weights of various comforters. ask which one was from which country. which was 80% down and which was 100%. and then forget 10 mins later and then ask again. and then again. it was funny when mom laid down so she could truly test the weight of each comforter. it was funnier when i laid down next and gave them my honest opinion. i felt torn when i had to decide which was the smarter buy (one was much more expensive)- i tried my best to be diplomatic - while one was heaviER, it was not necessarily heavy...though, the other is very light and soft...and of course, eventually the negotiating started...but, somehow they managed to keep everything quite light. i guess all this comes with age. they did finally buy. the saleperson's patience paid off. and in the end mom won out. i was pleased to see that whining still works in your 60s.

yesterday we discovered a cool dog park in our neighborhood...a really nice park - just happens it's for dogs...not just an enclosed grassy area for dogs to poop and sniff each other's butts...it was nice, like college campus-nice. i think eug and i will be pretend walking our pretend dog there frequently.





i'm in love with the way the vines are growing along this wall...i think it's completely natural and not designed in any way....