Monday I went back to the Nature Center with the dogs. My friend A and her dog were along as well, which made it all the more entertaining. A's dog is a miniature poodle named Sushi and when she runs it looks like she's been shot out of a cannon. Kilgore and Sushi ran ahead of us all along the path, with Wyatt bringing up the rear in lumpy, Hasselhoffian style (his life jacket is safety yellow and makes him look quite official). I had to kind of push Wyatt along at first, holding onto him and wading into the deeper water at his side, but once he realized he wasn't going to sink he actually started to swim on his own. Sushi, despite being black and therefore much warmer in the sun than the rest of us, was having none of it. At least now I know what to get A for her birthday.
Tuesday I ran all of the errands I had failed to run on Monday. I went to the bookstore, exchanging three books I had finished reading(Hemingway's Movable Feast, which I read out of obligation as it was given to me as a gift, another book I have forgotten the name of that was left behind by my dad on his last visit, and a book by Ian Rankin which I thoroughly enjoyed but have since forgotten the name of) for two that I hadn't (Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty and A Month of Sundays by John Updike), and owing less than a dollar in the end. Oh how I love used books. I also stopped at the post office, donated some clothes and household items to the Salvation Army, picked up some shoes that I can wear in the river, and bought some hair dye. Then I took the dogs on a very long hike in the woods.
Having accomplished all of that, I felt I deserved a reward, so i met A for a couple beers and some tapas at the Local Restaurant. It was a beautiful night, everyone was in a good mood, and the restaurant wasn't very busy, so they all kept stopping by our table to chat. It was loads of fun and the beer (Hill Farmstead IPA) was absolutely fantastic. I think we may just have to make this a regular thing. Three dollar pints are hard to beat.
Wednesday was pretty much business as usual at work, and after I came home and cooked for a few hours while I waited for the b.h. to return from work. I sauteed some kale, roasted tomatoes and zucchini, and made whole wheat penne pasta, threw them all together in a big pot and added goat cheese. It was pretty damned good. I think I'm getting the hang of this.