Another Pleasant Valley Weekend

 So Wednesday went as planned -- I fetched Little Man, brought him home to his happy parents, and we all had a blast with Baby Man, too. From there I drove the 10 minutes to Sunny's Steakhouse, in the hip Little River 'hood, to meet Dr. Barry.

We were the oldest patrons by a good 20 years. The food was delicious, and not inexpensive, but as Barry pointed out -- not yuuuuge portions, like the Palm. Still, we had a terrific time, and I hopefully convinced Barry that his career has not all been in vanity since he's saved several kids' lives and taught hundreds of future docs how to do the same. 

From there, I went to the Shores and grabbed the enormous puppy Betsy -- she loves staying with us. She woke Wifey yesterday at 8 am and me at 7 today. I took her for a walk, and she decided about halfway in that she wanted to go home -- letting me know by plopping her 95 lbs down and refusing to move until I took the route she wanted.

I ran into neighbor Lily, home from Tally with her nice fiance, and they asked me to officiate at their wedding next January. I was honored -- I don't know the young couple well, but apparently they really like me and want someone not a rabbi but Jew-ish, since the groom to be is Christian -- and I agreed, with one caveat. I explained that I needed to still be alive in January of 2026. They laughed, and I laughed along with them -- a little.

Paul called -- was I up for breakfast following an appointment he had Downtown? I was, and we met at Coral Bagels -- it was packed. We waited about 20 minutes but then had fine breakfasts -- and I brought Wifey home half a bagel, some latkes, and a rugelah -- so she was happy. 

Absolutely nothing is planned for this weekend -- just like I prefer it. Joey is taking Little Man camping with some dear friends and their kids, D1 had some birthday parties with Baby Man, and D2 and Jonathan are at their friends' wedding in Cabo. They sent us some pix from the luxe resort -- The Cove. As D2 noted, the place does NOT suck...

Wifey begins he birthday celebration on Sunday -- going to see the "Wicked" movie with friends Jeannette and Maureen. I plan to hang with Betsy and Bo, the Special Needs Spaniel.

Monday the plan is to trade Betsy for Little Man, and keep Little Man for a few nights. I bought us tickets for the Night Garden at Pinecrest Gardens -- we took him when he was just a year old - and now he is 5! I plan to tell him tales of the Night Bird, and we will check for other nocturnal creatures as well.

D1 and Joey had asked us to babysit on NYE, and we agreed, but it appears they have found a nice teen girl instead, "unless we really want to." I begged off - want to keep NYE options open, although staying up until midnight is no longer required. 

I think some friends with visiting adult sons have invited us --maybe Wifey and I will just bring in some nice dinner, eat by the fire pit, and watch the concerts on TV.

Wow -- 2025 is just beckoning...

But for this penultimate weekend of the year -- not much works just fine...