Here Comes The Cool

Little darling -- it's been a hot, wet, sloggy Summer...I barely remember the last time the temperature dipped below 70 degrees -- even in the wee small hours. But last night it did -- finally! And it was delightful.

We turned off the A/C for the first time since, I think, last April. We opened the windows last night, and slept in the cool breezes of our tropical neighborhood. Ah...My father used to joke that the Yiddish word, machaya, which means pleasure, was really the word for a peaceful, Japanese lake. He said he always saw such a lake in his mind's eye -- even when he would enter the warm waters of the ocean in South Florida. He would say "What a machaya -- like a Japanese lake." Well, last night was a machaya...

So we ended up celebrating the silver anniversary of my law firm in a wonderfully impromptu way. Paul was in the Gables for a meeting, and he had his lady Patricia Uber down . They then drove to our house, where Wifey was home from physical therapy for a trick knee. I poured Stoli Elit for Paul and me, a nice California blend for Patricia, and water in a wine glass for Wifey. We toasted the two and a half decades of our business.

Then Patricia drove us to the Grove, to a gourmet Cuban place called Ariete. And I had a surprise -- D2 and Jonathan had previously planned to have dinner there with their friend Scott, home from a long out of Miami sabbatical, like D2 and Jonathan. And -- their other friends, Tara and Robbie ran into them, so we put a big table together, and partied well.

Robbie's Dad is a lawyer a little older than I am. He just joined his Dad's firm, after a stint at the State Attorney's Office. He told Paul and I his father was never able to have a successful partnership for more than a few years -- how lucky WE are to have lasted together so long. Robbie was indeed correct, and it was nice to celebrate that accomplishment.

Wifey and I Ubered home, and reflected on the lovely evening.

Yesterday we were to have a meeting with my mother in law's doctor, but that fizzled out. Turned out she only needed a chest X ray -- he heard some fluid. She probably has what is going around -- URI time in Miami. A lot of the Heat players were out with it last night, and poor D1 was in bed much of the week, too -- she missed an appointment down in Ocean Reef because of it.

Wifey headed to the family's jeweler - Ha! - with her pal Susan. Jonathan and D2 were there, coincidentally -- picking out wedding bands.

I hosted two nice young installer men. I bought a new washer and dryer from Home Depot, and it was to be installed Friday. Alas, the valves on the water lines were bad -- so another crew had to come to change them out. To my surprise -- it was free. Turns out many people have that problem, since the valves stay open always, and after enough shoppers refused the installation, not wanting to pay the plumbing fee -- Home Depot just decided to make it part of the install, when needed.

So they pulled out the nearly 15 year old machines, let me clean out some serious accumulation of dog fur, and then put in the washer. The original crew will come back Tuesday, to take away the old machines, and install the dryer. Still -- I was impressed -- they got this done with Switzerland-like efficiency. And the new washer plays a happy electronic tune when the cycle is finished...

Today Wifey is meeting the Ds and some of their friends for an ice cream social in Wynwood. And I have reserved seats to the first movie I've been excited to see in years:: Scorcese's "The Irishman." It's only playing in one theater in Miami -- Merrick Park -- and I'm going with Mike and some other friends. The movie is three and a half hours. But Mob movies are my favorites. I guess that 5% of Italian DNA I seem to have expresses itself that way.

I also have to do what Wifey has been after me to do for awhile -- buy a new fire pit. The last one rusted out after a few seasons. Maybe I'll hit Home Depot before the movie, and prepare for the coming cool nights - I love sitting outside by a fire on those chilly evenings.

Hopefully the cool weather will stay. We're hosting T Day this year, like last, and it's terrific when we can open the 6 dining room doors and enjoy the feast that way. If not-- it'll be A/C again -- either way, we have tons to be thankful for, as we do each year.

Another breeze just blew in my open door. It's 57 degrees this am, and "feels like" 55. I hear a second cup of coffee calling...