Mrs. Clean (in certain areas)

John and Paul are here! It's a delicate balancing act--the clean before the storm. Don't want to start the visit exhausted, but I get so much done that I've been longing to do. It's always a surprise to see what hardened on unfinished detrius gets shaken free with a little panic and fervor. The living room is done, the kitchen mostly done. didn't get the bathroom really done or the hallway mopped, but hopefully if they don't look too closely...

So good to see them! Both of them have paintings aging in an attic somewhere. John took us out to dinner. It was too cold and too late to eat out of doors, so Darwin couldn't come. I filled his crate with wonderment--Dingos (rawhide with meat wrapped inside), dried chicken, doggy bones and other chewy goodness. He wanted to go in immediately, but, he had to wait which hopefully made his confinement seem less of an onus. He was asleep when we got home and oh-so-silently crept up to the door and peered into the window to see.

We went to Zeki, the Japanese restaurant that replaced Perkins near Target. We've been wanting to go to it and here was the chance. As expected it was a Benihana...admirer but the food was, I think, better. They had a mix of grill seating--the type where the chef amazes you by firebombing the grill and tossing shrimp into your mouth--and they had booth-ish table. John seemed to want a booth, but Paul suffered a little grill envy. One cool thing, the booths for two were made out of rough hewn logs! Unfortunately, none of them were for 4 so we got one of the non-lumber tables.

They were doing bang up business--it's a happening birthday dinner spot. In fact, we walked in to the disco "Happy Birthday--non-copywrited edition--recording that they crank up for every celebrant. There were at least 4 birthdays that evening, and at least one brought their own cake!

Rob and I had the Filet Mignon Hibachi dinner. Oh so good! John and I both couldn't finish ours so we brought some home for Darwin. I gave him a bite, he chomped down, and amazement flooded his little doggy face. He evidently expected it to be a dried treat. So right away, the texture sort of startled him. Then his eyes slid over to one side as he considered the taste and he entered doggy rapture. He got some more for breakfast and he was very concerned that the cat got some too.