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Sunday May 28, 2000
"Happiness, n: An agreeable sensation arising from complemplating the misery of anothr." Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
I think it was some time in the late seventies or early eighties when hay started being processed into these startling cylinders...I remember bales and baling wire...do you? |
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hammer man protects the squirrels SuRu's call doesn't call until 8:30 or so. But the storm last night has left a little coolness in the air. It has also left a lot of twigs and a few branches in the street. We decide to walk up to Northland and back and we cut through the parking lot of the apartments and the old folks place on our return. There is a big oak and a squirrel scampers up. At first, SuRu restrains Zoey but then she decides to let her go toward the tree only to encounter her pinch collar in mid, ineffectual leap. Well, it gives her exercise! An old man wielding a hammer is sitting there. "Leave our squirrels alone," he says. We think he's joking. He's not joking. He bristles and screams, "I mean it. Leave our squirrels alone. Do it again and you will get a citation!" "Believe me, this dog isn't going to catch a squirrel while wearing a pinch collar," I say. But he's having none of it. "Do it again and you will get a citation!" "Oh, yeah," I say, "From who?" Heck a loose dog got in my house and attacked Chalow. The police said if the dog was gone from our property it was a civil matter. So this guy is going to get the police interested in LEASHED dogs? Ha! We feel sorry for the guy's narrow world as he heads back into the home (which we understand is a sad, urine-smelling place of forgotten old people), although he seems spry enough and intent on telling someone or getting a better weapon than his hammer. Protecting these rodents. (They've actually killed or almost killed trees in our yard with their territorial behavior and over population. Forrest is quickly considering, half-jokingly, transferring our squirrel population to the guy's oak tree.) Zoey keeps sniffing every tree. One day, she'll get a squirrel, she just knows it. We decide to walk back south to Upper Crust. We do it and Forrest and I sit by the leaking gas meter (must call Southern Union...that meter's leaked for months now) while SuRu goes inside. The dogs pant and we give them more water. Home from the dog walk, Forrest decides to work a bit on his old Austin page, adding La Victoria bakery. He's discovered the clip art sites I subscribe to. La Victoria inspires thoughts of tacos. But we have some chicken in the fridge so he chops, seasons and cooks it while I run to Randall's and get some tortillas. My 'few other things' happens to include my favorite cookies. Oops. Must stay away from the bakery aisle and the one sweet that really attracts me. The rest of the day is to be devoted to friends who might drop by, organizing my office, my computers, my WEB page, and, conquering the papers!! I have several varieties of nostalgia...from last Fall's newpapers to slides I'm sorting from my mother's stuff...of me at eighteen, of my 32-year-old niece at two. Conquering the papers is a chore. I sorted the pile in my office to a new pile only a foot high. I was dismayed to find papers from 1999 in the pile. My friend Curtis called while I was at the store. I call back and leave him a message to 'come any time.' Rebecca calls a couple of times and, each time, we ask her if she wants to come over and get some chicken tacos. She calls back and says she's on her way. The doorbell rings and I figure it's her, but it's Curtis. It's five so we open a bottle of wine and talk a bit. Rebecca does come and Forrest reheats the chicken taco stuff for them and they all eat tacos. I have some queso and some cheese that Rebecca got at Grapevine market. (Truffle cheese...very much better than it actually sounds. Very yummy.) We have coffee. And talk. And somewhere in there watch 'King of the Hill.' Rebecca gives Curtis a copy of her CD even though he insists he'll go pay retail for it. We agree to meet at Four Seasons to hear her some time. Everyone leaves. Curtis and I agree that we'll probably see each other, as usual, in about three months. Seems to work that way. Although this time it had been more like five. I try to organize some. The paper pile is dwindling. I can only look at the old slides a few at a time or the nostalgia is overwhelming. I'm so boring. I love the Sunday of a long weekend. I have another day!!! |
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