We arrived at Arezzo Ristorante yesterday at 6:30, right on time to meet Katharyn’s brother to cele­brate his birthday. We literally got out of the car after driving from Geneva, Illinois and sat down to dinner.

We have long been in the habit of heading for Arezzo first thing when we hit town. It began years ago when we flew in for the holidays, traveling on Christmas Eve to maximize the chance of scoring standby seats. After picking up a rental car and heading for Edina, we found almost nothing open, except Arezzo. The place has felt like a welcome refuge ever since.

Our new house already feels crowded now that we have unloaded the 15 or so boxes and cartons we managed to cram into Maxie (the Ford C-MAX). I can’t begin to imagine how it will be after the moving van pulls away next Thursday.

On the way to French Meadow this morning (our initial choice for a breakfast place) I paced off 50 feet to either side of our front walk. That’s the area we will need to clear of cars — on both sides of the street — before the Gentle Giant van arrives on Thursday morning. Time to meet some more of the neighbors.