windy friday

I registered for the Banana Relay with two people who are closer to my age but crap happens and they couldn't do it. I ran the relay with two 8-year olds who did a great job. I think we were the team with the youngest members and the oldest member.

You had to run two miles, then pass the banana to the next team member. This little guy stepped in at the last minute to complete our team. He was fast. His little feet were smokin' when he headed out for the last leg.

We didn't win any prizes but we had a great time. The kids had banana splits and the rest of us in the over-21 crowd went to Patrick's for a glass of wine. You got to stay hydrated when you're an athlete, you know.

Yesterday morning I thought I would walk downtown to do some errands. I got about 3 blocks away from home and decided, due to the wind, this was a bad idea. I turned around and took the car. I parked it by the bank and walked around to do my errands, though, so got to stop in the two new gift shops on Minnesota Avenue. Cute stuff and nice people.

It's 46 degrees this morning. Shouldn't there be more than 12 hours between the time you have your AC on and your furnace on? We didn't turn the heat on yesterday but I was tempted. Regis saw a friend of ours mowing his lawn in a parka and a stocking cap. Minnesota. Good grief.

Why do thrift stores all have that same smell? Stuff never smells bad when it's in your house but you collect all the old junk in one spot and it's a bad collective impression. If they could do something about that smell, their stuff would be a lot more appealing. Well, maybe a little bit more appealing.

Regis got this email this morning from AARP: Spice Up Your Love Life. I thought it was mind-boggling when Paul McCartney was on the cover of the AARP magazine but this, this is a little too weird. We have a young friend (in his 30's) who shudders when we make the most remotely romantic comment in his presence. Old people having sex, he says, and he just shudders. I should send him this article.

I've been on a cooking jag lately. Yesterday I made a boat load of chili and used chipotle pepper instead of chili powder. It got a little spicy so this will be chili for which grated cheese or sour cream is a necessity. Also made a huge meatloaf. These are fall foods, folks, so you know what's coming.