November 24 Run/Walk: Meet at the South Dallas Avenue entrance of Homewood Cemetery

We walked, we ran, we played dead in Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville, and I guess we liked it so much we're heading to the Land of the Dead for our next walk and run.  

Was meandering past all the tombstones the reason why our initial conversation, when we finally landed at Mediterra, was about health insurance, a joy-killer of a topic.  We learned that we're all confused.  Maybe some useful information was shared before we moved onto a happier topic.

Sharon's birthday!

Then a mystery:  Once upon a time thee was a crown.  What happened to it?  This, I think, is part of the origin story we newcomers are eager to hear.  (Or maybe it's just this newcomer.)  Like, if it was your birthday you had to wear a crown?   That maybe it had candles and was embarrassing and inappropriate?  Maybe it was made of fabric?  Maybe X stole it?  Maybe photos exist and it had something to do with the Brits?  

Otherwise:

Fantastic baked goods at Mediterra

Check Etsy for all Pittsburgh-related objects.  You can even get bridge earrings.

Mary Ann has a coffee urn she's eager to share.

See A Real Pain at the Manor.

Play mahjong at Roye's.

November 17 Run/Walk: Meet in front of Mediterra, 5202 Butler St, Pittsburgh

We had another gorgeous walk/run in Frick Park.  It was bright and brisk, the trees  still hanging onto their leaves, and there was Gretchen, back on her own two feet. 

Thank you, Janet, for the terrific spread with sweet and savory offerings. Maddie, you were an all-around Good Dog.

It was much more fun talking about food than Trump, so food dominated our conversation.  For instance: we talked turkey.  Virginia cook the turkey in a 20-year-old clay pot, where it is steamed in apple cider and butter.  Want to try the cheesecloth soaked in butter?  That's Linda's method.   Deep-fat frying in the backyard?  Not sure anyone was actually recommending this.

We talked cranberry sauce:  the old-fashioned slimy kind, marked with ridges from the can had a fan (Janet)  Only Jane endorsed Mama Stamberg's Pepto-Bismol-colored cranberry sauce.  

We talked cabbage!  Janet got a cabbage from her CSA, and in extremis, cried, "What can I do with a cabbage the size of my head?"  

We were ready to help.  

Janet retrieved the cabbage.  Friends: it was the size of her head.

We extolled the virtues of cabbage and offered a recipe.  We then moved from green cabbage to green paint chips and weighed in on the perfect green for Janet's kitchen renovation.  

Other endorsements:  Maren Cooke's sustainability salons 

Nancy Silverton's book, The Cookie That Changed My Life: and More than 100 Other Classic Cakes, Cookies, Muffins, and Pies that Will Change Yours.

Ron Donoughe's upcoming open studios.  

The Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, PA

Department of Unanswered Questions:

Does anyone know what alternatives there are to the Camino Trail?

November 10 Run/Walk: Meet in front of Colfax School, 2332 Beechwood Blvd, Pittsburgh.

We'll start our run/walk at Colfax and meet up at Janet's afterward for coffee and  consolation.  Her address is 2815 Shady Avenue.  

Did Sunday feel like it belonged to a different life?  Yes it did.  We were young then, and full of hope.  We were happy hanging out at 61C, even though it lacks ambience and has sub-par pastries.  We got to see photos of Elaine's beautiful mother-of-the-bride dress, which has a short-sleeved jacket and covers the knees.  In that long-ago time, the big question was this:  Do we have to cover our recreation-scarred knees?  Or should we rock them?   

Many agreed that grooms should rent their suits.  

All were outraged that the florist ghosted Elaine. 

Whatever the snag, we knew:  "Hannah can figure it out."

We were cheered to hear that Gretchen is back on both feet.

And never want to hear an anesthesiologist ask:  "How much anesthesia do you want?"  

(At this moment, a lot.)

Endorsements and advice:

Mahjong for the next decade of our lives -- it's social and you have to use your brain.

See Concave before it leaves the Manor Theater.

Always bring your headphones when you have to wait on line.  It makes the waiting... fun, especially when you're listening to a thousand-hour book, or a series like Frozen River, which is highly recommended for fans of Outlander.

November 3 Run/Walk: Meet at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead in Schenley Park. Change your clocks - Fall back!

Meet at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead in Schenley Park.  And change your clocks – fall back!  Newcomers: the legendary Wendy Bennett Trailhead is unmarked, but easy to find, on the corner of Greenfield Rd. and Overlook Dr.  Here's a map.

Last week, two new walkers joined us on the Annual Halloween Decoration Walk, Jan, who arrived with her golden retriever,  Ruby, now unofficially, Ruby 2, and Ann, who worked on the Hilary Clinton campaign with Roye.

Post walk/run we had some fabulous treats at Roye's, including homemade kugel, babka from Zabars in NYC, and Jane's famous frittata.

Braking news:  Earlier in the week, Sharon stopped her car so Elaine could cross the street.

Runners can still catch up with Jonathan in Squirrel Hill on Wednesdays and Fridays with a new (late) start time of 6:00 AM.

Many new Kamala endorsements, including a batch of ultra-conservative Republicans, e.g., James Murdoch. 

Endorsements:

• The babka from Zabars in NYC was delicious, but babka-lovers can also order from Zingermans.   
• Not delicious, and hopefully not useful: Jane endorses her orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Aaron Taylor
• Ignik  Foot Warmers – they’re foot-shaped and last up to 72 hours.

Podcasts worth listening to:  

• “My Senior Year”  high school kids from Gaza – This American Life
• “How I Survived”   

She was there too:  we forgot to ask her name. 

...in their brilliant Buffalo Creek Half Marathon shirts

Thank you Roye!

October 27 Run/Walk: Annual Halloween in Regent Square viewing, starting at Roye's house, 1017 Milton St.

Let's meet at my house (1017 Milton St. in Regent Square) and head out to see the many wild Halloween decorations that grace our neighborhood.  Virginia knows where the best ones are.

Last Sunday, we finally got the timing right to see the sun rise over the Highland Park reservoir, which was at its late October spookiest.  This was followed by a scrumptious brunch at Joanne's, and our accustomed scintillating conversations which should have been recorded but instead have vanished, ghost-like. The one salvaged recommendation was the Annual Ohiopyle Buckwheat and Pancake Supper, which somehow, magically, made you "almost forget that politics existed." Sigh.

October 20th Walk/Run: Meet at Tazza D'Oro, 1125 N. Highland, for a Highland Park run.

We'll see how the trees have been transformed in Highland Park, and listen to the autumn crows, meeting at old favorite Tazza D'Oro, 1125 N. Highland. 

Last week had us reveling in the fall extravaganza of Frick Park, around which runners made a full circuit (see below) and took in some early spookiness in the neighborhood.  Discussion under the tent at Biddle's was rich, and endorsements tended towards the health-inducing, particularly the gin:

• Read:  The invisible life of Addie Larue, Tell me everything
• Eat:  LOTS of protein, the gram equivalent of twice your weight in kilos (something like that).  Also:  Yogurt at the East End Food Coop, both Bulgarian and La Fermiere (the cutest).  Or make your own.
• Watch: You are what you eat, a twin experiment
• Save:  a pig, via Pig Squealers Rescue. They need you. 
• Clean: with SalSuds Biodegradable Cleaner
• The Saturday East Liberty Farmers' Market - open all year! 
• Hoopla from Carnegie Library is terrific.
• Gunpowder Irish Gin
• Not sure about what you put on your face, or elsewhere?  Look to EWG.
• No question, hair product works.

October 13th Run/Walk: Meet at Biddle's Escape (401 Biddle Ave. in Wilkinsburg)

We'll meet on Sunday morning at Biddle's (at Biddle and Trenton in Wilkinsburg) and get a head start on this neighborhood's famed Halloween decor on the way to Frick Park, starting to turn gold right now.  

Reporting on last 2 weeks, one in Edgewood and the other Downtown:  both had great weather, sights, comradeship, photos and endorsements:

• Pros and Cons of the JCC locker rooms: fancy or regular.  Fancy is a bit pricey, but you get extras (sauna, free classes) and regular has more nakedness (which could make you feel somewhat better, comparatively.)  Concerning the classes, Group Power is not for the accident-prone.
• Watch Nobody Wants This on Netflix
• Delightful visits from Galit, and my friend Leslie
• Updates on births and weddings, resulting in statements: "my 2 ex-husbands have never entered my house" and "every marriage is an intermarriage." 
• Discovery that the renowned Tom Paxton was staying at Gretchen's house that weekend!
• Biking trips - next group one will be the Hudson Valley Tour in May.  Recommended:  Vermont Biking Tours (I think this is it.)
• En route to or from said trip, do not put your wallet on the top of the car.
• Visit Bryce Canyon, much prettier and less crowded than Grand.  Also, get your Senior Pass to National Parks. This is more useful a Real ID, instead of which you can generally use a Passport Card.
• Don't forget to request your free Covid test (OMG why do we still need it.)  
• May we all be written into the Book of Life, wherever you think it might be.  And may Kamala and company be written into all the Ballots too.