Friday...

Been on vacation this week. I've been trying to take it nice and easy whenever possible. The weather has been wonderful all week. I got in a nice bike ride on Monday and a hike on Tuesday (my birthday!) I packed a lunch and headed for one of my favorite destinations, the flood plain prarie along the Meramec River, off the Chubb Trail. I sat under a shade tree for a couple of hours and caught up on some reading in the peaceful stillness. Wednesday I made an inquiry about a certain dog I had my eye on at the Humane Society...turns out the dog is a bit of a problem child so I think I'll pass. I did figure out that I need to do some more homework on choosing and living with a dog so off to the library I went. I checked out some books and am getting some good tips.

(Aside: At dinner with my parents and bro/sis-in-law Tuesday night my sis-in-law recommended a book entitled "Marley and Me" by John Grogan. I had seen it at the bookstore but didn't pick it up. It is the story of a rambunctious Labrador retriever adopted as a puppy by the author and his wife and how he impacted their lives. I found it at my local library the next day. I highly recommend it to anyone, not just dog lovers. It is one of the best books I have ever read. You truly will laugh and cry. The author is a journalist by profession and he writes in a delicious narrative style.)

Yesterday my mom and I made a quick trip to Malden to see my grandparents. My grandpa is slowly but surely recovering from his stroke. His immediate goal is to trade his walker for a cane. He continues outpatient physical therapy twice a week. He looks great, such that if you didn't know of his recent past you'd never suspect a thing. I hope and pray that he continues to improve as the months go on. On the way, we stopped to visit his twin brother who is himself recovering from heart surgery.

The great St. Louis book fair is happening this weekend and I am going tomorrow with some friends to check out this year's offerings. Tomorrow night I'll be checking out Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band in concert at the Touhill PAC at UMSL.