Will Shortz the pusher

As I was heading out the door Saturday to visit friends in PA, I caught sight of my crossword book and smiled. I was very excited about this trip anyway and had completely blanked on the crossword issue. I didn't need to grab my book-- they had a better one; it's laced with heroine.

When I visited these same friends in Berkeley a couple of years ago, we were up into the wee hours of the morning working on the crosswords. Wendy, the (more) responsible one, would try to break the cycle and point out that we could finish it the next day.

Anyway, this time around, I didn't know if they were thinking what I was thinking, but after I arrived on Saturday, as we were about to head out for a hike, James said something about crosswords that evening. And Wendy said something about how she'd deliberately put the crossword book out of sight so we wouldn't get entangled until after we returned.

The scenery was beautiful, the weather perfect, our picnic lunch delicious. At various points, the hike got strenuous. James remarked, "we'll have earned this crossword."

We returned and made a tasty fresh-veggie dinner. And started on the crosswords. Then, we had some of Wendy's delicious homemade sorbet... over a couple more crosswords.

This morning, as Wendy and James made breakfast and left me taskless:

A.: Should I whip out the crossword book, or would that be dangerous?
Wendy: Yes... and yes.

We finished a couple, debated starting another. Wendy staged an intervention. She loves them as much as anyone, but she's really got this moderation thing down.

***
Later, Wendy showed me her compost bin.

A.: So, you'd suggest I get some red worms for my indoor bin?
Wendy: I highly recommend "Worms Eat My Garbage."
A.: I saw it on the chair in the guestroom.
James: Some people leave a bible...

***
You know both the House and Senate are in recess when there is no traffic coming into DC on a Sunday afternoon. It was awesome.

Hope everyone had a good weekend, whatever your drug of choice!