It's That Most Wondeful Time

So it's the last weekend before Thanksgiving -- long one of my favorite holidays. And this year, it coincides with Chanukah -- a favorite when I was a kid, and thought getting presents was cool. Speaking of cool --it's NOT. We're still waiting for a real cold front to come in, and drop the temperature below 80. My firepit, my favorite possession, awaits a chilly night... Wifey came with me to her only Canes game of the year -- and had a great time. We tailgated, and I acquitted myself well in the vodka department -- especially knowing I had a designated driver. Mike came by, and Norman and Maria hosted a fine breakfast of bagels and lox. Dana baked a fine apple pie, and Barry made blintzes. I got to see my classic Miami tailgate scene: folks playing dominoes while eating bagels. Jews and Cubans -- classic 305. The Canes won big, and then Wifey adjusted the driver's seat in the Man Car Buick and drove us to MJH to see her Dad. MY buzz was blissfully still there, and we wheeled him outside, near his beloved ficus and oak trees. He asked 5 times about how old they were, and about 10 times about the Ds' whereabouts. Damn Alzheimers. It really is the cruellest disease... Wifey stopped by one of the rooms to pet a cute dog, and the owner was a sharp as a tack 93 year old. Her daughter was there, and saw our last name on Wifey's id sticker. She asked if we knew Charles, who is active in kids' charities. I told the daughter I did, and that I had just begun work as a Guardian Ad Litem. We knew a lot of the same folks... Today Wifey was headed to a D1 function -- charity luncheon for Holocaust Survivors. I begged off -- I never want to overdo the in law thing, and I'm taking them both to Soyka's for a Black Friday lunch when D2 is here. Speaking of D2 -- she's due in Wednesday. I haven't seen her since September -- too long. When more than a month passes without seeing my Ds, I get withdrawal. But she'll be here for T Day, and then back a week later for Winter break. I plan to fly to Gville on the 11th, and then drive with D2 to Orlando. We'll spend a night at Universal -- some cheesy theme hotel -- and then go to Springfield -- the Simpson's theme park. I haven't been to a theme park since I think D2 was 8. I figure I can take it once every 10 years... Thursday we plan on brunch at the Key Biscayne Ritz -- our 7th year in a row. The Ds and Joel and Jonathan will be there -- we'll consume mass quantities of traditional T day food, PLUS stone crabs PLUS all kinds of seafood, and then we'll collapse by Biscayne Bay, enjoying the bounty... Afterwards we'll light a menorah -- in the same way the Ds bring light to our lives. Ah -- the most wonderful time of the year...