I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! I was very lucky to spend time with some great friends and get in some quality outside and pet-snurgle time.

The 4th itself started off with my favorite weekend activity- a crossword and special chai for Pants and a fancy coffee for me. We hadn’t done a crossword in forever, and we were happy not to have totally lost our chops. We came in at just under 15 minutes (for a Wednesday puzzle) on the New York Times crossword app. We factored in the time it took to get used to the app with the new updates (it has been THAT long!) and the fact that we were total slackers and decided to be satisfied with our time. It was a holiday.

Once we showered and packed our bags for the day, we headed to Nationals stadium for the Nats versus the Cubs baseball game. I am a default Nats fan (when the Mets aren’t in town) so I was a little bummed to see our star-spangled hats handed to us by the Cubs. And – the President’s race? Boring! Sure, George carried the American flag (and won), but they appeared to be moving pretty slowly. On the 4th, I expected a little more.

Our next stop was our friend’s house for a World Cup/July 4th/birthday party that was just fantastic. Our friend engineered his TV and DJ tables outside, so we were able to watch the game and then enjoy chatting on their fantastic back deck. I was surprised I liked the two different cocktails (I am normally a very plain drinker). One was a Caipirinha, deliciously limey, and the other I forgot the name of, but it involved liquor, champagne and a fresh orange slice. Treats ranged from half smokes to a full rack of ribs and several (mayonnaise free!) coleslaws to a cherry bake. Deliciousness abounded, so I was happy to share everything (so of course I could taste more).

For the fireworks, we walked to nearby McKinley high school in NE. The little hill afforded us a clear view to the fireworks on the mall (and a bunch of other neighborhood displays). I was snuggled in near friends and fella, enjoying the beautiful night.

This little lady had yet to turn into a pumpkin, so I suggested that we stop at Kramerbooks for a night time book run. I had difficulty deciding, but settled on The Bayou Trilogy, by Daniel Woodrell. I really enjoyed the movie of Winter’s Bone back in the day, and was looking for a contrast to what I have been reading. I’m excited to start it!
By the time we got home, Boss was more than ready for food. We gave him some food, tried to give him some pets, and went to bed.

Saturday started off with Bossy finally being ready for pets, and about 2 hours of us snoozing (no really, me and Bossy), spoon style. I was shocked he didn’t pull his shake-shake-shake “Oh hey! You’re up?” routine, or scramble off the bed when I dozed off while petting him. When I woke up and realized he was still there, I stuck around for another 20 minutes or so of petting. I am a total sucker.
By the time I finally got up and prepared the morning beverages, I realized I had to get out the door for my first Barre3 class in a month. She was a new-to-me instructor, and I LOVED her class. All the teachers there are pretty great, but I loved the way she went through the class seamlessly and never went off beat. Not a big deal for everyone, but I find it much harder to work outside the beat during a barre or dance class. It just takes me out of what I’m doing.

Sunday I was feeling a little sore from Barre3, so I was glad to go for a walk out at Great Falls with my friend, fella, and her puppy, Ruby. Ruby is still new to her family, and always wants to be with her mama (even while she is driving). I was tasked he job of keeping Ruby on my lap for the drive. She is the sweetest dog! She shifted around a little, but didn’t fuss as long as I cuddled her and gave her pets. We were stuck in line to get into Great Falls for a while, so I was treated to a full lap of puppy fur (it was a nice contrast in texture to my usual kitty fur). Once we parked, we went to the flatter parts to try out Ruby’s hiking prowess. She enjoyed meeting new dogs and sniffing everything, but didn’t seem to tire out at all. Good pups.

Sunday evening started with another trip to Kramers. Pants wanted to exchange his book, as he read a bad review of it while we were on our way home on Friday. He picked out another, and we got Field Guide to the Natural World of D.C., by Howard Youth, to share. I was also tempted into Parasites like us by Adam Johnson. I just finished another book of his, The Orphan Master’s Son, and am eager to start this one. Ah, the freedom to enjoy fiction! We swung by Glen’s Market (and finally found some cilantro!) where I got a lavender mint Hint seltzer for the trip home. A lovely end to a lovely weekend.