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At noon, I dash over to La Madeleine and get some tomato basil soup and cheese croissants. I take these to my parents' house. Mom has made bread-crumb crusted baked chicken thighs, rice and sweet potatoes. It's too much food, but I eat the soup and croissant and a bit of chicken.

Mom starts an elaborate tale of bread crumbs. She takes bread that got too hard (some French bread they hadn't finished) and puts it in the blender and freezes it and doesn't need to buy breadcrumbs.

Dad says, "Linda is never going to do that."

Mom says, "I know. But she should save any bread that got too hard for me."

We are dining on the screened porch that has become the 'glassed in porch' since we added windows you could close. My dad says, "The patio looks like mine now. I've moved in." There are pots and some improvised tables and various things. He has hung a few things on nails. It's not quite Sanford and Son but it has a look of someone who throws nothing away.

"I replanted my amaryllis in larger pots for the winter," he says. "This guy down the street had some pots by his house he wasn't using. I was talking to him and I said, 'How about I borrow those and give you a plant back in one someday?' and he said, 'OK'." I wince for effect. "They better get used to me in the neighborhood, I'm here to say," he says.

"Yeah, but after they get a look at you and see how old you are, they probably figure you want be bothering them that much longer!" I say. He laughs hard enough to bring a tear or two.

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SuRu and I take an eXtreme team dog walk after work. We go to the west of Shoal Creek. This involves a scary trip down a narrow path on Hancock and a brief block on 45th where we peek out from behind a bush forcing us into the street as cars speed by, perilously close. Otherwise, inside the neighborhood over there, it's peaceful with lots of dog walkers and couples with little kids who want to point at or pet the dogs.

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I seem to be watching more and more TV, with the Olympics on. I think TV is good for events. You know when it's over that you will go back to not watching.

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