Hippo, birdie, two ewes...

...to jodimuse and linda_muireall!!!! Have fun!!

I wasn't planning to get an early start

... but I woke up at something like 4am needing an antacid, and the jar of Tums on the headboard was empty. By the time I got back to bed my little bearlike brain was all full of music, and I couldn't get back to sleep. Got up about 4:45 and made coffee.

Early to bed and early to rise
Gives you more time to put on your disguise.

It is now mere seconds shy of 8am, and I've already washed the pots, started the dishwasher, caught up on LJ, done my backups, checked for updates, read some dead trees, made and eaten a plate of fried rice for breakfast, and posted in ohiblather's virtual birthday party for jodimuse, allisona, unkbar, and trystel.

Maybe I'll take my walk early. Or maybe I'll go back to bed.

Back from a nice drive

The flower_cat and I left about 11:15 this morning for a nice drive, over Highway 9 to Santa Cruz, up the coast to Pacifica, and back via 35 and I 280. We'd originally intended to take 92 back from Half Moon Bay, which would have been about 30 miles shorter, but all the pumpkin farms were having their opening weekend sales, and it looked to be backed up for miles. About a 175-mile round trip; even at today's gas prices, it's cheaper than many other forms of weekend entertainment, and gets us out of the house. We got back almost exactly at 5pm.

We ate lunch a few miles north of Half Moon Bay, at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company. Good place. I had grilled salmon; the Cat had an appetizer (fried squash blossoms stuffed with cheese) and a cup of pumpkin (of course) bisque. We shared an apple crisp for desert. They had real coffee! Another keeper.

Did I mention that pumpkins are a major crop in the Half Moon Bay area? Did I mention that the Pumpkin Festival is in two weeks? No more drives up the coast until November.

The kids were barely getting out of bed when we left; they appear to have spent all afternoon gaming. Together. Without violence. This is a Good Thing. (Later... actually, the Wolfling appears to have been up all night, and fell asleep mid-afternoon. But it's still OK.) They seem to be getting along a lot better now that the chaoswolf has a job and the YD is back in school. Maybe that's just because they're spending less time in the house, but I'm still not complaining.