Saturday's Phoenixville Phrolic

eFor most of us who were looking forward to a lovely fall weekend and got more than six inches of snow instead, Saturday's weather was a big hassle.

More than a hassle. The weight of the snow brought down not only power lines but branches of beautiful old trees, and some more recently planted, that were not able to withstand the wet flurries.

I feel for all who had to deal with power outages and the loss of their lovely old trees. And then there was a fire in Phoenixville on Sunday -- frightening for neighbors who live near that area.

So it wasn't a great weekend for a lot of us.

But for me, Saturday was the first chance I'd had in more than a month to carve out a day uniquely for myself.

Mr. C was in Harrisburg with a teacher at an anti-torture conference (they came back by bus when the trains were canceled in the late afternoon). At the last minute, the DQ got asked to attend a retreat up north.

Their dad had a lovely visit with his daughter.

And moi?

I began with a massage -- I'm trying to be more intentional about shedding stress.

Then it was off to Phoenixville and a meet-up with a friend at Steel City Coffeehouse.

I'd never been to the coffeehouse before -- I loved the slightly industrial, slightly dark, hipster vibe.

After chatting for an hour or so, we wandered the streets in slush up to our ankles. A stop at Bridge Street Chocolates and a nice chat with the owner kept us warm enough to contemplate a brisk walk through the backstreets of the town.

On our way back to Bridge Street, we stopped at the Black Walnut Winery store -- where the self-described "grouch" manager told us about the live music and BYOF dinners they have on Saturday nights.

As I said to my pal, I don't get to do things like that very often. And I'm really ready to nail some adult time.

After we parted, I stopped at the Stove Shop and talked pellet stoves with a true believer who sold me on getting one once the house is ready for it.

Then it was down to Wegmans -- and back to the kid's dad's house to drop off groceries and talk to my step-daughter..

There is more, gentle reader, but no need to share it.

Sometimes life surprises you. Lack of control isn't always a bad thing.

Perhaps that's a lesson I need to keep on learning. At any rate, I don't seem to have a choice.