Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Ludo sleeps in on Sundays and every day

Like The Gryphon and I, my dad had stayed overnight at my sister's after Saturday's party. On Sunday, we enjoyed party leftovers for breakfast, along with fresh brewed coffee. The egg custard was particularly good reheated, along with a taquito, some corn bread, and a low-fat brownie for dessert.

My sister and I took our dogs for a leisurely walk, and it seemed as if the cicadas were quieter than they had been the day before, perhaps because of the rain. My sister's cat, Bonanza Jellybean, a.k.a. Beanie, followed us.

It was a quiet morning, full of low-key conversation. I took several pictures of my sister's pets, which were a lot better than the party pictures, because this time I used the proper settings.

Beanie is fascinated by the camera

Ludo on his favorite windowsill

Emma recovers from all the partying

Dad had to leave by about 11, and an hour later, my sister and her husband left for work, telling us we could stay as long as we needed. The Gryphon and I took the dogs for one last walk, did all the dishes and cleaned up party trash, made certain we had everything packed, and headed out.

By the time we left, it was about lunchtime, so I suggested stopping for a bite to eat in State College. We found some space at a municipal parking lot on Beaver Avenue, and we walked down to Panera Bread to order some sandwiches to go, which we would eat in the car with Una. When we got to Panera Bread, a large crowd had amassed at the counter and didn't seem to be moving. We had no idea how long it would be before we got any food, so The Gryphon suggested we retrieve Una and then take our time finding a place that had something we wanted to eat.

It actually didn't take us long. Just down the street, we discovered that The Daily Grind, which used to be a favorite hangout for me and some friends in my grad school days, is now a sandwich place, Roly Poly Sandwiches. They specialize in wraps. The Gryphon held Una while I went in to look at the menu. Then he ordered for us while I sat with Una at an outdoor table.

Una was pretty good as the passersby walked by us. She only barked twice. Once was at a young guy wearing a large frame backpack, who came out of the sandwich shop suddenly and startled her. I think the backpack freaked her out. What was this guy, a cyborg? Danger, danger!

The other time she barked was at a loud woman wearing a bright orange outfit. She actually stopped to pet Una when I apologized for her barking. I guess Una decided she wasn't so scary after all. As we ate, Una seemed pretty content, and she even lay down and relaxed. Maybe she remembered having done that several years ago, with my sister and her dog.

I had a vegetarian sandwich with hummus. It was tasty, but the filling was a bit sparse and the hummus was sweet. In fact, I wouldn't call it hummus so much as a bean spread. Still, it was relaxing to sit outdoors, eating our lunch. It reminded me of all the hours I'd spent there back in the day.

Across the street, the public library, Schlow Library, has undergone a major expansion since the days when I lived there. That entire section of new brick was added on. Before, there was an extra-wide sidewalk and some landscaping there.

It used to bother me when I noticed things had changed since my State College days, but I'm used to it now, having visited my sister so often over the years. Besides, if it had never changed, by now it would probably be run-down and sort of sad.

After our leisurely lunch, we got back on the road. We weren't trying to break any land-speed records on our way home. Because of our stop, we didn't get back until about 6:30, after which we dropped Una at home, changed clothes and drove to Charlie Brown Steakhouse for some dinner. It was a good time to arrive, after 7, because there wasn't any waiting, and we got a corner booth to ourselves.

The first thing I noticed upon arriving home: no cicadas. Just the memory of their hum, buzzing in my ears.

Copyright 2008 by Alyce Wilson

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