Fun from almost nothing

Hi everyone:

Well, this picture is worth a thousand words, don't you think? I snapped this photo while Patty and I were enjoying lunch at Moe Joe's, a Cajun eatery in Plainfield. I tried turtle soup for the first time--and was pleasantly surprised to find that there is something out there that doesn't taste like chicken. We also ate crawfish, alligator, crab and beef, so we should pretty much be covered off on the protein front.

Patty held up pretty well today, aside from sore joints and muscles. She seemed pretty strong out of the gate this morning, so we decided to do some early holiday browsing, and settled on Plainfield. We've made many such day trips to various little towns, just to see what we might discover.

The days we have alone together seem so infrequent, and yet they mean so much. I actually shared with Patty today how much fun I had walking the aisles of Walgreen's with her! It just seems so amazing and special, at times, to see Patty interacting with the world at large. At points, she was so punchy and energetic that she shoved me, or grabbed my hand and pulled me, running, across the street. At these times, I can almost forget that she's sick.

We poked our head into a handful of antique shops and other boutique stores, and picked up a few moderately tacky Christmas decorations to add to the chaos that is our home. We stopped for a quick visit at Kicker's, and then settled in for an odious made-for-TV Christmas movie on Lifetime. Patty and I are more inclined these days to forgive weaknesses in a feel-good movie than in days past, but some of these flicks are just dismal. When almost everyone in town is conveniently standing in the town square whenever any small announcement is made, and then everyone spontaneously bursts into song with near-perfect voices, you know you've found a winner. It was like A Very Brady Christmas all over again.

The plan for tomorrow is to sleep in, finish our decorating for Christmas, tackle a bit of tedious paperwork and watch the Bears game.

Love,
Brian

Packing up leftovers - how's that for fascinating?