Four years ago, we traversed the I75 SUV Speedway to the yooperland for Memorial Day weekend. When we got here, I posted on facebook something like, “We are here, hope we *don’t* see you.” (That was intended for the moominbeach community.) Of course the GG was mixing it up ANYWAY, with a couple of my cousins (first cousins, once and twice removed). They were on the beach but back in the day when we still didn’t understand covid’s rules, I was nervous about transmission.

This year. I got here two days ago. Yesterday, while I was still solo here (the GG arrived in the afternoon), I took a ride around town after my Meijer grock run. Everywhere I went, I saw my old fave restaurants. And something inside me sort of woke up. My first thought was, “I wanna have lunch at the Palace Saloon!” (And Wicked Sister and Kenny’s Pitchen and Bird’s Eye and and and.) And so when the GG got here yesterday, I proposed an early lunch at the Palace today. And that is what we did.

It’s not that I haven’t ever eaten out during covid. I have quite a few times and even attended a Big Fat (loverly) Greek Wedding and the crowded Quiet Adventure Symposium and that weekend included THREE restaurant meals. Today was somehow the first time I came up with the idea myself and felt pretty dern comfortable with it. (Knock on wood.)

Why the Palace? Partly because we haven’t been there in forever. Also… When The Commander was in her last year of life, it was one of our main go-to places to eat being a couple blocks from the hospital. The staff kind of got to know us to the point that once when I appeared there with npJane instead of the GG, they looked at me like “who is that and where is the GG?” I explained that my husband had gone home for a bit and np was my cousin. She had come up to keep me company for a bit and I am forever thankful!

I’m sure nobody on the Palace staff today was here back then (12 years ago) so no one remembered us. But they were wonderful servers anyway and I tipped well like I always do.

After that little idyllic restaurant interlude, immediately after we got into Cygnus, the GG was scrambling with his clothing or whatever. Why? He had found a TICK! I should say ANOTHER TICK! That tick went unceremoniously out the window. When we got back to the moomincabin, he systematically sifted through all of his clothing and other belongings and took a shower, I think to eliminate any other ticks. Yick.

P.S. A beach urchin set up a Spotify playlist for me to hook up to Cygnus’s radio. Today I finally figured out how to hook it up. We were driving up (down) Ashmun (the main Sault Ste. Siberia street) and the radio was talking about the Orange Baboon. I dunno what was even being said but since the GG and I disagree about MAGA crapola, I decided it was time to change the station. So I pulled into an empty parking place, put Cygnus in park, and opened Spotify on my phone, which was connected to Cygnus. After maybe 30 seconds, voila, I had some loverly 1990s music playing. So thanks kiddo and what’s the frequency, Kenneth?

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