Crowds of men and women attired in the usual costumes

• Last week (the week before?), Mark and I went to the pharmacy to get the latest in booster shots from a youthful pharmacist. When she asked me to confirm what shot I was getting, I said, "The...Covid...super duper booster?"
• Later we met a dog from Topeka, a golden retriever named Jersey with a pretty white patch on her chest. Her person (name unknown) went to grad school at K.U.
• I think I want to be composted when I die. I just have to hold off until they offer that option in more places (LIFE GOAL).
• Here's a tip: don't look up scalding on Wikipedia.

And now onto an actual adventure we had, visiting Isaac and Edna in New York for a whirlwind weekend. Thanks to Janet, we had a luxurious Washington Heights apartment as a home base. We also had such great luck with everything: the subway, the weather, and (knock on wood) the Covid. Highlights:

• A brief glimpse of Jonah (including hugs)
• FOOD. Ramen at Minca. Breakfast sandwiches and donuts at Win Son Bakery. Coffee (and art) at Amant. More coffee at Buunni. A Chinese feast at Birds of a Feather. Breakfast and treats at Dutch Baby. *
• Finally getting to be in Isaac and Edna's totally charming and cozy apartment and meet their even more charming cats, Kiki and Ilya. 

TBH as we drove out of Maine I thought "WHY?" but it turned out I was really glad we made this trip.

I mean, obviously I was glad. Being with these two in their natural habitat made me deliriously happy.

Isaac is magic.

Edna and Kiki at home.

*bonus: these were all outdoor dining situations, except for Birds of a Feather, where we sat at an indoor table beside a huge door open to the back patio.

I can see Venus through my kitchen window

This month seems to be wiiiiinding down (ah, there's still a full week left, I see). A looming dilemma at the moment is: should I set my alarm for six and treat tomorrow like a regular day, or sleep in? Either way, I will make a salad and we'll take it to Mitchell's house, where we'll all participate in the festive holiday tradition of drug store quick Covid tests before (with any luck) tucking into a small Thanksgiving feast.

There will be nearly as many dogs as humans there (three!). And in other dog news, an Irish wolfhound is coming over to watch basketball tonight. 

I'm at the stage of Christmas shopping where I'm prematurely smug about all I've accomplished, when in reality I've bought three things for one person and contemplated about five other purchases. I think I need to make some more lists.