Braved the scorching sunlight of our late-arriving summer to wander up to the Petaluma Progressive Festival this afternoon, where we checked out the usual booths, then Maddie and I sat beneath a tree, contemplating the seemingly low turnout, listening to Tom from the Phoenix Theater address the crowd, and watching people. Maddie: "If they're so [...]
"Good morning, Sir or Madame," says the scraggly neighborhood cat, as she meets me on the front porch this morning. "Would you perhaps be seeking the services of an expert mouser? I have impeccable references, and promise not to taunt your little dog.""Don't do it," barks Maddie from indoors. "It's a trap. She's in cahoots [...]
Wandering through Art in the Park at Walnut Park with Maddie, we pause beneath a tree and sit awhile and listen as a trio plays standards...
Bumper Snicker Spotted this while walking over to Our Best Friends this morning: Now I'm wondering who the other ten are. And I'm partial to the Sandow Birk/Marcus Sanders version, personally. --- From the "What the Hell is That" Desk So I just stepped out into the kitchen, and spotted this... monstrosity crawling across the [...]
Everybody's heard of Schrödinger's cat. But did you ever hear of Schrödinger's mouse? Me neither, but rest assured, there is a mouse in the picture below. And much like Schrödinger's cat, he's in a box. But unlike the average cat, however, he really wasn't terribly happy about it.Let me back up a little bit. Last [...]
Ever have one of those mornings where the call of a neighbor's sprinkler is irresistable?Maddie does. Today was one of them. Spotting the sprinkler at the end of the block, Maddie trotted right over to it. She stood awhile in the refreshing rain, enjoying herself, as the neighbor and I looked on, laughing. "Maddie," I [...]
Halloween costumes have begun arriving at Our Best Friends...Maddie, however, is not amused.
It's August 15, which means that once again it's time for one of my favorite parades to tromp through the neighborhood as St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church celebrates the Assumption of Mary. While small, this parade has it all: a police escort, dozens of dancing horses in full regalia, fluttering flags, a black-clad brass [...]
Out for a walk, Maddie pauses at the corner to watch as a road crew lowers one of their fellows, outfitted in protective gear, into the sewer. She marvels as they monitor his progress on a video screen. "What are they looking for?" she asks. I shrug. "Alligators," I offer. "Maybe crocodiles." "Really?" asks Maddie, [...]
This was a good afternoon to sit and read, so I indulged in a little non-work-related reading, picking at a my perennial pair of voluminous tomes: Wise and Fraser's Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural and Michael Shea's The Autopsy and Other Tales. These are heavy books, 2 lbs, 1.8 oz for Wise and [...]