Not Easy

I am going to be honest here.  My dad was not easy.  Oh, he thought he was but he was set in his ways and if things weren't the way he thought they should be, he was not happy and had lots to say.

One time a group of my parents cousins went to dinner in an Italian restaurant.  Dad was not happy.  He ate in a kosher deli (soup or meat  balls), a diner (eggs or french toast) or Panera Bread (muffin and coffee).  The owner assured dad the chef would make him anything he wanted.  Well, dad ordered two eggs over easy and white bread.  Needless to say, these cousins never invited him to dinner again.

I used to try to find good and unusual places to take my parents for dinner because my mom loved trying different places.  My dad always bitched and moaned, but ended up enjoying wherever we took him.  Those days have ended when my mom died.  It wasn't worth the effort when IHOP made him happy.  It hurts now to go past one of these places and know I will never watch him scrutinize the menu and end up with the same thing he has eaten every single visit of his life.

Pictured above is dad celebrating his 87th birthday at IHOP.  The staff of this one, on Boston Post Rd, right on the border of the Bronx and Pelham Manor is wonderful.  They always went out of their way to help him with his walker and make his visits special..