A little bit of catch-up

1.) I sent Mrs. Eilola the post about her teaching; I figured if I was going to spread her name across the World Wide Web, she had the right to know and have me pull the plug, if she so desired. Fortunately, the voice mail she left me at work sounded quite happy.  So the post remains.

2.) A kind person from the U.S. Postal Service left a message on my post about the missing mailbox. They had no explanation, just soothing counsel. Just leave your letters in your own mailbox and the mailman will pick them up, they wrote. Save your walks for something else. (And how do I know they were from the USPS, when the comment was anonymous? Oh, the miracle of statcounter, of course.)

3.) All's quiet at the Whistler's house. Let's hope it stays that way.

4.) Poor Riley. It's been raining here for two solid days. Our back yard is a moshpit of mud, dirty snow, ice, and standing water. Tonight, when it freezes, it's going to be even uglier. No more chasing games until we get fresh snow, or the grass grows.

5.) This morning on the walk I timed it exactly wrong, and as we headed up the sidewalk I heard the screams and laughter of the children from the gray-and-yellow house as they flew out the back door and headed for the front. I was able to drag the dogs across the street and into the park before the kids appeared, so there were no nasty barking incidents. But oh, what a mess in the park! Four inches of water on top of gray ice. I didn't go down, but I came close. Boscoe looked at me and I could tell he was quoting Dorothy Parker in his mind: What fresh hell is this? I love rain, but in February it's nothing but trouble.

6.) I am going to wear the $60 Eileen Fisher jacket to work today. If you see me, you must tell me how nice I look.