The true test for our recoveries became Thursday’s 8 1/2 hour trip to 100 degree Pueblo with

eight stops plus lunch, starting with an eerily empty Toyota showroom where a whiteboard listing vehicles urgently needed to resell to customers stood in for the normal array of bright

and shiny things as we awaited the Tacoma’s service and inevitable annual replacement of the blower motor due to rodent infestation.  From there L. visited her dentist while I made

the rounds* until collecting her at noon, by which time digits were tripling.  More errands ensued** and then an experimental lunch at Trés Margaritas out on the frontage road as all our favorites were closed due to covid.   The place had great atmosphere but was more of a destination than we needed as one could easily have consumed those trés margaritas well before the orders were in let alone on the table…eventually wickedly hot camarones whose salsa salvaged my hopelessly dry tacos al pastor in soft but deepfried tortillas did arrive

along with excellent rice and beans but investing over an hour for lunch hadn’t been in the program. After that and a last grocery stop I was left fairly shimmering but fortunately L took over for the drive home, making it before 4:30 to mostly unload, crash and then briefly revive

for a foray into our forest.   We dined on corn and salad and slept deeply.

The next day we made it up Fossil Hill so maybe that illness, whatever it was, is done with

although Pueblo did catch up in the afternoon studio in the form of Comatose Couch Collapse

for the allotted duration.

Small afternoon walks continued, but

morning by morning the smokes from the north became increasingly opaque; the Season is

upon us and best not to be further west…at least here we get the occasional torrential

[even if they fail to drive away the smoke].

*Target, Goodwill [nothin’], PetSmart…and back to the west side.

**Safeway, ARC [wineglasses], Hardware, Gagliano’s Deli, Trés…