November 23 Run/Walk: Meet at Tous Les Jours cafe, 6226 Penn Ave in East Liberty. ALSO Thanksgiving Holiday Run/Walk from 61C at 7:30 Thursday.

Sunday we returned to the lovely Ka-Fair Cakery on Chislett St. and sampled lots of their treats.  We agreed with Maryann that when it comes to our hair, leaving a stylist is like breaking up with a boyfriend. And if you’ve cheated on your stylist, what then? Will they take you back?

Endorsements:

• Supermarkets:  AARP likes Aldi. Roye votes for Trader Joe's because the ingredients are better. Many questions about the new Giant Eagle in East Liberty, with its weird checkout design and mysterious entrance.
• Amba! Wikipedia tells us it is a tangy condiment made with mango pickle, popularized by Iraqi Jewish merchants in (formerly known as) Bombay, who brought it back to Baghdad. Elaine introduced us to Ruhama’s Amba Chicken and Rice.  You can order Amba from Amazon or Walmart, or you can make a quick version -- different from the above description, but you never know…
• Read:  The Many Lives of Mama Love – a memoir of addiction, etc., by Lara Love Hardin
• Watch:  Death By Lightning – on Netflix, about assassinated US President James A. Garfield;  The Gilded Age – on HBO Max.
• Support:  the White Whale and other indie bookstores, particularly now that B&N has moved in. You can also support local bookshops by ordering books from Bookshop.org.
• RG-approved delicious Winter Retreat in Troncones Mexico with yoga maestra Linda Meacci.

Resistance activity of the week:  from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, be part of the "We Ain't Buying It" boycott of Amazon, Home Depot, and Target. Pause on shopping at these major corporations actively enabling the current administration - and buy local instead. Detailed info. here - organized by Indivisible, No Kings, 50501, etc. 

Two upcoming events of note:

• Save the date! The Janes are hosting a Big Book Giveaway for RG members on Sunday, November 30, post-walk/run. RG will meet at the entrance to Baker Hall on Frew Street. Post-run breakfast and free books selected by experts.
• A retirement happy hour, January date TBA to celebrate the last days at work of various happy RG members.

Composed by Jane Bernstein

November 16 Run/Walk: Meet at KaFair Cakery, 806 Chislett St. in Morningside

Okay, there were some complaints about the pastries at 61C, but as Janet said:  “it’s like going to a relative’s house who can’t cook.” It’s our place – "just not all the time."  And the prices are great.

The country of the week was Wales.  Recommendations for Welsh-related films and books include a documentary about Richard Burton.  

• Turns out there are two - Burton: Wild Genius and In from the Cold:  A Portrait of Richard Burton
• How Green was my Valley – can be streamed on Amazon or Apple+
• The Pillars of the Earth  - is also on Amazon Prime or Apple, or you can read the book, by Welsh author Ken Follett.

For those of us wanting to get out of the house, there's Banjo night Wednesdays at the Elks club.  What is the Elks Club?   AI tells us that The Elks, officially the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, are a fraternal, non-profit organization. They're "dedicated to community service through various charitable programs that benefit veterans, youth, and those in need. The organization's core principles are Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love, and Fidelity. The Elks are a “patriotic organization…" To join you have to be over 21, have good moral character and believe in God.”

Endorsements From the Transportation Division: 

• Kindred Cycles  - also sell used bikes and racks.
• Recommendation for bike rack:  Kuat NV 2.0.  And if you’re a member of REI or know a member, deep discounts are available through November 24.

Department of Recycling & Composting:  There are many devoted composters among us.  

• Home pickup and a gallon of their free “tea” is available from the beloved Worm Ladies.
• Zero Waste Wrangler is great for those of us who don’t mind carrying our compost to a site beside East End Food Coop.
• If you're somewhere in the East End, it's easy to drive and deposit compost at Howard's garden.  Contact roye.werner@gmail.com if you want more details.
• City of Pittsburgh now recycles a wider range of materials curbside, including plastic tubs like yogurt and sour cream containers

Division of Sad Truths:  Moving very old people is very hard.

Division of Mixed Opinions:

• Thanksgiving is on Thursday and that’s that.
• Thanksgiving is on Thursday and also on Friday.
• Thanksgiving is on Thursday and on Friday is a kind of Thanksgiving-ish with leftovers.

Resistance activities of the week:

• Got an hour?  Join an Outrage one, every day from 4 to 5pm on the corner of Shady Ave and 5th Ave in Shadyside. Here are details and info about others. Be energized by all the car horns blaring in support.  This is what democracy looks like!

Composed by Jane Bernstein

November 9 Run/Walk: Meet at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead in Schenley Park

Meet at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead, corner of Greenfield Rd. and Overlook Drive (map).  Coffee locale TBD, though probably Divvy Coffee and Buns, 3714 Forbes Ave.  On our walk/run we can check out the Neill Log House, where later in the day there will be a Harvest Festival to celebrate its restoration.

Many endorsements: 

• To watch: Trumbo on AppleTV or Amazon Prime;  Outrageous, about the Mitford sisters, on BritBox; Downton Abbey (on several sites); Schitts Creek (same); Dark Winds – set on a Navajo reservation (same); Upstairs, Downstairs – “prevented postpartum depression.”
• The fifth novel in the Outlander series, The Fiery Cross, gets a thumbs up. (2, actually.)
• RADPass offers free and discounted tickets to museums, theaters, etc.  To apply, all you need is a library card (also free!)
• The amazing Max will be teaching an introductory pilates class at the JCC, starting next Wed.
• And yoga classes at Yoga Hive are recommended.
• To get some privacy in your car, keep binder clips and a sheet handy.  Because: public urination gets a police record. 

Not endorsed:

• Fake faces
• Gold bathrooms

Resistance Activities of the Week:

• Take courage from election results!
• Stand up for democracy and justice any day of the week, 4-5 pm, on the corner of Shady and 5th: Outrage Hour.  Bring a sign or a flag or just yourself.
• Listen to the What’s the Plan, a weekly one-hour Q&A from Indivisible’s founders, available at any time on Youtube. (Also live on Thursdays at 3.) 

Composed by Jane Bernstein

November 2 Run/Walk: Commonplace Coffee, 7514 Thomas Boulevard

Commonplace Coffee - another entrance is across from the East End Food Coop.

Inspired by Roye, we turned our backs on Starbucks and found the very delightful Divvy.  Plenty of space, worth a return trip. 

 

There was so much serious business to discuss that the Louvre heist felt like comic relief.  We laughed, fretted, were sentimental about old clothes (red shoes, black undies).  Close to home, we endorsed the Squirrel Hill Shoe Repair, run by two buff, ageless shoemakers, and their neighbors at Pearl Nail Salon, a whole lovely family, complete with babies and well-behaved dog. Both are on Murray Avenue. 

 

And now work:  Resistance actions of the week - 

• VOTE next Tuesday, Nov. 4!  In particular, make sure to retain the judges (Supreme Court and all others) who are listed on the back of the ballot.  (Retention elections don’t list party but they are all Democrats.)  Also tell friends and family.
• Spotify is running ads to recruit for ICE.  Indivisible is organizing a boycott (details here). Cancel your subscription to speak out (here’s how). You can always re-up when they hopefully cave, a la Disney/Kimmel.  Boycotts are integral to resistance.

October 26 Run/Walk: Meet at Schenley Plaza, near the tent

 October 26 Run/Walk: Meet at Schenley Plaza, near the tent 

Hi Runners and Walkers -- forgive this stripped-down blog.  I wasn't around last week and don't know where we met or what amazing endorsements we shared.  But we do have some helpful advice for Sunday's run/walk.  The road through Schenley will be closed for buggy practice so come on Forbes/Fifth.  

And in case you missed this: "Elaine has promised that the crows will be around..."  

I hope to see a big group!

October 19 Run/Walk: Meet at Biddle's Escape, 401 Biddle Ave. for a Frick Park excursion

On Sunday. we meet at old favorite, Biddle's, corner of Biddle and S. Trenton (map).  They will have plenty of chairs (unlike last Sunday's locale where we grabbed almost all of them).  Leaves are turning in Frick Park!

Last Sunday, we trekked through a somewhat dowdy but endearing Sharpsburg, and found places to enjoy the view over the Allegheny.  Later at coffee, I gave up on capturing anything from 13 ladies kibitzing nonstop, but did get to taste Redhawk's signature Jewish Pizza (you would think Sharpsburg an unlikely spot to get it). It was good! 

• Resistance action of the week:  PLEASE GO TO the No Kings Rally this Saturday 10/18 - downtown at City County Building at 12:30 - and other locations listed here.  It is SO important for millions to stand up now -  please read why in this David Brooks article in The Atlantic.  
• Finally uncovered, thanks to Bobbi:  on the last Sunday of September 2025, RG celebrated its 32nd birthday 🎂🙌🩷

October 12 Run/Walk: Meet at Redhawk Coffee Roasters, 1019 N. Canal St. in Sharpsburg

We'll see what's doing these days in Sharpsburg starting at Redhawk Roasters, 1019 N. Canal St.  The last time we went there we were wearing mittens.

As for last week, many photos (below) tell the tale.  We were way up (see stairs) in Spring Garden and Troy Hill, seeing the actual Spring, the first Croatian Catholic Church in America, and the fence that Bobbi's Mom jumped over to get the phone call saying her Dad was coming home from WW2.  And the views.

• Not endorsed:  ticks.  They are legion.  Cover up, stay on the trails and away from meadows.
• Endorsed:  Meditation.  Really anything that will induce calm.  I'm trying it out, plus whiskey.
• Also endorsed:  Small Hours jazz trio (starring Gretchen's marvelous Margot), at The Hotel in Sewickley this Saturday at 7.
• Resistance activities for the week:
• This is last-minute but Indivisible Regent Square is meeting again tomorrow (Thursday) 7604 Charleston Ave. (off Braddock) at 6:30. Learn what can be done and meet kindred souls.
• (A repeat) Check your voter registration and your whereabouts on Nov. 4 to make SURE you get your vote in to RETAIN the judges on the PA Supreme Court (and others).  Also nag friends and family.