Morning all:

Possibly it was seeing the rabbit sitting in the yard this morning that gave me a hankering, and I don’t think that it’s inherently too strange to be enjoying a fresh carrot along with my morning coffee. Actually, I have already finished the carrot while the coffee is still brewing.

I really do not watch much television, if anything, assuming the thing is on, I’ll glide in and out a bit. Yup, I do have a couple of shows where I’ll make time to actually get into the business of watching but not too many. Fast backwards to last Sunday. My neighbor, Stewart, for some time had wanted to take a ride in our little Citroën Deux Chevaux, and since his wife is also out of town last Sunday after dinner was perfect. Top down, off we went to Hyde Park Square and while the car sat at the curb being admired by passers-by we got some coffee, sat on a bench, and chit-chatted a bit.

Stewart’s day job is professor at the local medical school. Here he teaches future doctors about the wonderful world of poisons and how they affect the body. He absolutely loves the strange reality of heavy metals, primarily because they certainly do a number on your body and will do so in some very outlandish and wicked ways. Now for the surprising part, Stewart just loves Fox’s hit TV show “House”. In fact, he builds on the plots of a House show and has his students research those bits as a class exercise. I had never watched House from beginning to end since to me it was always a case of “it’s all that phony stuff.” Apparently I was wrong. This coming Tuesday, please don’t call me starting at 8:00 o’clock – I’ll be watching some TV.

I am certain that this scenario is familiar to you. The innate sense of children that allows them to spot a set of McDonald’s arches along the highway when their parents haven’t even realized that an exit is coming up. Three year old Marin is just like that, except he is magical at spotting Mulberry trees. This week we were walking when Marin asked me if I could spot the Mulberry tree. Remember that to this city guy tree spotting hinges on a broad overview: some are tall, some shorter, some are green and come with small or large leaves, some turn spectacular in autumn while others just drop their leaves. The last category in my knowledge base only has needles. Excitedly he ran up to a smallish tree and had me lift him so the he could pick a blackberry shaped fruit. “Try one Opa”, and I did—it was the absolute first time in my life that I tasted Mulberry fruit. About a dozen finger-staining tastings later I realized that up to this point there had been a major void in my life, these things were delicious. Thanks much Marin.

What follows is not a “Tale from the Dirk Side”, although if I had grasped what had been happening over time I would have given myself a noogie. Last evening I realized that on our every evening walk Shang knew the route so well that at one point he turned at the exact spot I always cross the street—without any direction from me. I think my walking routine is beyond being in a rut, something akin to the Bill Murray character in the movie Groundhog Day. That will all change starting with today’s evening walk. To make that walk even more special is that I have uploaded my iPod with some tracks from an April 1986 Hartford Grateful Dead concert where the setlist contains the very best rendition of CC Rider I have ever heard.

Make it a great week everyone; be sure not to walk in circles.

Cheers,
Dirk