Thanks, Don! Much better today! The friend I cat sit for reports that the virus her cats caught seems to have run its course (her regular vet agrees - they caught something from the emergency vet's office) and they're beginning to eat. She, on the other hand, is on Paxlovid for the COVID she picked up on the trip or one of the flights, but she detected it really early so is feeling ok. We haven't talked face-to-face for this reason. It has been a complicated couple of weeks for our commingled health and cat activities. She is the source of the cash payments I stash away, though there was a hefty draw-down today for the repair on the gorgeous family antique Persian carpet. It is magnificent and is once again on the floor beside my bed.

On my drive back from the rug shop (I took ~ a pound of okra along as a gift - and kidded him "that was a rug repair and wash for a pound of fresh organic okra, correct?") I considered some of the small things I've meant to do that I always forget as soon as I get home or conditions change. One of those, as I looked at the vehicles in front of me with dealer frames around their license plates, was to take the dealer trim off of my SUV. So as soon as I backed into the garage I reached into the toolbox for one of the big old Philips head screwdrivers (that came from my Dad's house - I enjoy having many of his tool here still to use) and it took less than five minutes to remove them, re-attach the plates, and clean off the dust that had collected under the trim. Into the trash with the plastic advertising bits. They're not even worth trying recycle.

The nerd in me is glad to discover another Argiope spider hanging out beyond the front porch. This one has a web from the front corner of the roofline down into the Salvia gregii in a front bed, about 6' forward from the dame in the near top corner of the porch. She's even larger than the one I've reported on all summer. No idea why she hasn't been visible until now.