It was a rainy day at the dog park today, and not many people (or canines) were romping around the soggy grounds. A few stalwarts, though, of course. When the Mighty Belle and I walked in, the rain had just stopped, even though the clouds overhead were still dark and […]
The topic for those of us gathered at the dog park this morning was chiefly the weather: how beautiful it was today, how nice it has been so far this summer, and how ghastly it is supposed to be in the coming days. Increasing temperatures, but more wickedly, increasing humidity, […]
So, I had oral surgery earlier this week, and while I’m recovering nicely, it really threw me for a loop and now I’m playing catch-up. In order to maintain my sanity, I’m going to recycle a Gimbling in the Wabe from 2013, rather than contrive something new. This post […]
It’s been a pretty “wild” week in the city. No, I’m not talking about civil unrest, political wrangling, professional sporting adulation, haute cultural stimulation or jaded, cynical urban ennui. I’m talking critters. Earlier this week, a bald eagle flew into the dog park that the Mighty Belle and I frequent […]
The Mighty Belle and I got busted the other day. My fault. I know that letting your dog run free in a city park risks a $140 fine, which is why I take Belle to the licensed off-leash park every weekday. But this was the weekend, and we needed a […]
Travels With Casey Benoit Denizet-Lewis Simon & Schuster Release Date: July 22, 2014 ISBN 978-1-4391-4693-4 Premise: a man sets out in an RV to travel across America with his dog. No, I’m not talking about John Steinbeck’s 1962 classic Travels with Charley. “Steinbeck had traveled the country to tell the […]
Of Dogs and Books that Bind It was pretty darned chilly at the off-leash dog park this morning. The sky was overcast and a mean spitting of unexpected snow was pelleting those of us who were huddled near the picnic table as our dogs chased and romped, unconcerned with the […]
A few days ago, I took the Mighty Belle to a “new” off leash dog park. It wasn’t new, truly, but it was new to us, located in an inner city park next to the downtown campus where my daughter attends classes, rather than on Minneapolis’ chain of lakes. I’ve […]
Recently, I read an article on Slate about how they were no longer going to refer to Washington’s NFL team as the Redskins. In the article, Slate‘s editor David Plotz stated, Changing the way we talk is not political correctness run amok. It reflects an admirable willingness to acknowledge others […]
Ode to Teddy (by guest writer, the Mighty Belle) As Teddy leaves the park today I won’t see him again. I don’t know really what that means ‘Cause Teddy is my friend. He likes to pull my ears a lot; I grab him at the collar. He sometimes knocks me […]
On this day, December 3, in 1857, Joseph Conrad was born in Berdichev, Imperial Russia (modern
Ukraine, then a part of Poland). While he settled in England and wrote in English, he always considered himself a Pole. Heart of Darkness, one of the most famous of his 20 novels (which explores colonialism and the attitudes regarding what constitutes a barbarian versus civilized society) is considered one of the best English novels of the 20th century, as is his novel Lord Jim, which chronicles a crew’s abandonment of its disabled ship. Conrad died in England in 1924 at age 66.