Back Home From Pre-Summer Vacation

My ever-so-nice hubby opened a bottle of 2007 Atalaya Almansa about an hour ago, figuring the mess that greeted us when we entered the house was beyond a beer. I think I have to agree with him. Somehow the cat sitter must have gotten Valrhona and Ferrari's foods switched over the last week (after I even labeled the bags and bowls), and the resulting digestive upheavals were evident: On the kitchen floor. On the powder room floor. All over the carpeted steps. The laundry room was an unmitigated disaster. And...on the kitchen counter!! Yaaaacckkk!!

Somewhat miffed at the note ('Please make sure to have more cleaner on hand for next time, and a paint scraper to help remove the diarrhea from the floor' (!)), I cleaned everything up and adjusted my attitude. I never have this expectation for this woman to be on her hands and knees cleaning up my home after our animals. I've set out Resolve before, but things have been so much better lately because we've gotten Ferrari on a high-fiber/sensitive digestive system formula. There simply haven't been as many messes. So I've quit leaving out the bottle, and didn't think to stock up on the stuff. But when I got out the food to feed the cats, I noticed Valrhona's Kirkland brand kibble in Ferrari's bowl, and Ferrari's food in Valrhona's bowl. Hmmmmmm. I plan to call her tomorrow (and set up July's cat-sitting) and get some clarification of what exactly happened this week. And yes, apologize for any misunderstanding. We've walked into a mess after being gone, but never this bad.

In the meantime, dirty laundry is in the process of being washed, and we are in need of absolutely no dinner. We indulged in burgers at Heck's Cafe in Cleveland at around 4pm, and that ought to do it for the day's calories. Second burger indulgence in a week (we had Five Guys last Monday Night in Silver Springs MD). The accompanying fries were the bomb (the waiter said they were making HIM hungry). Skin still on, deep golden brown... My burger au Poivre and Tim's Asiago burger were enjoyed outside under an umbrella on a quiet street shaded by huge sycamore trees. With a Great Lakes Brewing Company Dortmunder Gold, and a Holy Moses White Ale. Since Great Lakes Brewing Company itself was closed for the holiday, and Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh was too early in our travels to stop for a meal, Heck's was Plan B. I'd say it worked out perfectly. What in hell did we do before we had smart phones and GPS's??

More on our East Coast trip later.