delights and highlights

When I last wrote, I think we were on the verge of going to New York, and I was slightly dreading it. It turned out to be a lovely party. There were not, as I thought there would be, hordes of thousands. Rather, there were first cousins of the bride and groom and their immediate families -- parents and kids. There was one close friend, practically family, and her husband and child, too.

Mostly the "sides" stayed segregated from each other because we were all dying to catch up with one another. My sis and bro were there with their partners and kids. (My sister's kids are rather recently acquired via her sweetie.)

We drove up in the morning. We stayed for about four hours, chatted intensely, and then drove home. It wasn't that bad a day -- we were out of the house as much as we are on a regular workday. But for some reason, I was exhausted for several days afterward. At least, it felt like it took a few days to feel a little more normal again.

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And this weekend held its own share of delights. On Friday, we were invited to a friend's house in the city where we sat on his abundant porch and ate dinner by candlelight. The weather was just perfect. We'd just survived some extremely hot days, and finally, the temperature had fallen enough so that the air felt crisp.

There were five of us -- the other two live in Philadelphia but are on a fact-finding trip to decide whether to accept a job offer and move up here. Robert and Partner 1 geeked out; the other partner and I discussed restaurants and other fun aspects of living here.

The two men said that they feel like they're not A-list, not even B-list, and perhaps on occasion they're C-list. But our evening was so perfect -- good food, good company, good wine, far-ranging and rather fascinating conversation, and perfect weather as a backdrop -- that I think we just made our own A-list. There is some redemption for us weirdos and misfits.

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On Sunday, Robert and I joined a long-time friend for brunch at our favorite airport cafe in the next town over. Our friend was so taken with it that she pouted for a good long while because it had taken so long for me to tell her about his wonderful find. The weather again was perfect, and there were all sorts of planes taking off and landing. We laughed and gossiped and chatted, generally catching up on the world and its goings on, another soul-filling event.

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In between, the cats continue to bring great joy. Theo no longer chases Koa *every* time he sees her, and so they co-exist far more peacefully. Koa continues to get braver and to recover from her frights more quickly. And as she blossoms, she becomes ever more affectionate. She takes especial pleasure in bed time, when she rolls around on her back, waves her paws in the air, purrs as if there's no tomorrow, and then snuggles up to me for a round of petting and cooing. We will continue to work things out with her.