A full dance card

Mostly we go along in our lives here in paradise without much contact with others. That's pretty much OK by us. Then we get stretches with a full dance card and people just bouncing off the front door. This week is one of those crowded times. The Girl is coming down for Shrimpfest [the Mardi Gras of the Coastal Bend], bringing the world's most brilliant and beautiful baby. This baby can actually get her stuffed bunny into her mouth without outside help. I think this is universally regarded as a marker for high intelligence. Also along with the Girl will be her oldest friend, also with a new baby. An admirable baby, no doubt, and an attractive enough baby; we will try not to embarrass our guests by invidious comparisons.
And, the piratical one has been down this week house-sitting. He informed us that Sugar Magnolia, Vicad blogger and frequent commenter here, was coming down for a visit. So, I got to meet a soul who has been sort of around the fringes of life for a year or three. That's nice. Then Joe Bean, the former Vicad editorial-page editor, dropped a note that he was in Victoria for Bach Fest and was loose for a day on the coast. So, as it happened, we ate lunch with Joe and then came home to sit around with Mike Austin and Sugar Magnolia, plus Joe. With me as a Vicad ex and my wife as the paper's former book reviewer, we had quite a bunch of Advocate connections out on the lawn chairs. All agreed the paper is lamer by the day. It was all very entertaining and no doubt would do the paper more good than a phalanx of consultants if they would but listen to us. They won't.
The young mothers passed through today and dropped off Oscar the pup and will be back tomorrow after a visit a little farther down the coast. If you are lost for amusement this weekend, come on down to **Adrift for Shrimpfest Fri eve, Sat, and some Sun.