Easter brunch and noodling

God damn it, I love going home for the weekend. The weather finally cooperated, and it was glorious. I went to Maquoketa for some methfeather-based bedding (there’s an outlet there that has amazing comforters and whatnot for cheep).

When I got home, I found Jason, Anton, and my dad down in the timber tearing down an old shed. I ran around the timber happily, and we watched some Freaks and Geeks (my parents are hooked, and are watching them all too).

Saturday night we met up with two Lymans and hit the Davenport bar scene. It was mostly scary and depressing, but hey – I did see an old college buddy! We stole bar glasses for Lena, who wasn’t around until Sunday.

We had a brunch for Easter, but for the first time sans Grandma. She’s out with a nasty flu, so we had to function as a family without our matriarch. It’s not that she’s bossy, it’s just that she’s always been there.

All the food was really good – even though we didn’t have some of the traditional dishes that can be counted on for familial meals – but the best part was the bloody mary my uncle Jeff mixed. It was the tastiest version of that drink I’ve ever had. I’m now a bloody mary fan.

After brunch, Dad pulled out a tape of a show he caught on PBS. It was about noodling, and the men of the family (except Anton, who’d seen it, and me, who’s not male) sat around and watched this video of guys fishing for flathead catfish … with their arms. They catch fish by poking their hands into underwater holes. Water moccasins and beavers are also found in these holes.

It was funny, but seeing all the footage of guys wrangling giant catfish got us all antsy to go fishing. Anton, Jeff, and I went down to the pond and drowned some worms. Heh heh.

I really didn’t spend that much time with Jason over the weekend, me acting in an outside cat fashion, and Jason hanging out with the biggest inside cat I know, Leener.

On Sunday night, Jason and I got the honor of bringing leftovers up to Grandma’s house on the way out of town. She shooed us out because it was getting late, and we took the “shorter” but “slower” route through Clinton and Morrison.

Jason and I talked the whole way home, which is lucky, because my tape adaptor doesn’t work, and we would have been left with the hiss of middle-Illinois stationlessness. (It’s similar to the middle-Illinois cell phone lackage.)

Today, I’m out of the office. I’m sitting on Jason’s couch watching Ellen. They have swing dancers on. Oop. Now Ellen is dancing. Wow. Err.

Anyway, I’m going to walk around outside, since it’s gorgeous, and go up to Quimby’s for a big black bag of mystery mags.

You suckers who are all inside working, I’m sorry.