Children who live near us have been entertaining us again, brother and sister playing out on the court. They’re elementary school age and, during this time of post-season games, the boy has been outside throwing a football around. Coming home from walking the dog one day this week, my husband heard the girl ask her big brother, “Will you teach me to throw a football?” The boy agreed at once and, since then, the siblings have frequently been seen devising football activities.
I walked by with the dog yesterday, as the kids were agreeing on rules for the latest one. Throwing the football around had advanced to running with it, while your sibling tries to tag you. Despite the girl’s athleticism and determination, the boy still has a year or two on her and is faster than she is in a footrace. So brother and sister were deciding how much of a head start she should have when she was running with the ball.
She chose the landmark she had to pass before he could start chasing her, and off they went, slender and long-limbed as a pair of colts. The action was swift. Shrieking was involved. And just as they reached the far side of the court, he tagged her. Gently. “I got you!” he crowed. She didn’t dispute this. They turned around, all smiles, caught their breath, and got ready for her to chase him. I don’t know how they worked it out so that she had a chance of catching him, but they probably came up with something. The two of them get along so well. We’ve never seen them cross with each other.
The great storm that combined snow and cold and extreme wind over much of the Midwest a bit ago had ice fishermen out on the lakes. Not too far from shore, and not in any elaborate set-ups. A lot of people were out with not much more than an inverted five-gallon pail to sit on. The urge to fish must have been strong among them, because it was mighty cold and windy. They were right not to commit totally to the endeavor, too, as the warmer weather we’ve had since then has, for the most part, returned the lakes to their liquid form.
The air has changed to largely liquid form, too. At least three mornings this week, the dog and I have begun our walk in fog and/or drizzle and/or sprinkles. The farther we get from home, the more precipitation there is, and the harder it comes down. Another day this week, it was already raining when it was time for our walk, so I carried an umbrella. Does the dog seek shelter under the umbrella with me? No, he does not. Even if I carry a golf umbrella, he does not shelter under it.
If the weather turns rainy while we’re out walking, the dog doesn’t mind. On umbrella day, the rain was forceful enough when we stepped off the porch that I thought we’d be home again pretty directly. Nope. With Rascal, Michigan weather is pretty much all good. He steps out smartly, tail high and nose ready to sample all the smells on offer. He’s a trouper—uncomplaining and always good to go. In the extreme cold and wind that preceded this wet spell, though, he made no objection to keeping our walks short.
Six new thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles came our way this Christmas, and we spent the weekend working on the first of them. The image of the puzzle was detailed and engrossing, but it did not go together quickly. Usually, we can knock a thousand-piecer off in one go. This one, not so much. One daughter was already working it with us. We tried to entice the daughter who gave us the puzzle to come help, including a photograph of our progress along with the text. She was out of the area and couldn’t join us, but said the puzzle looked fun to work. We sent her a snippet of “From a Distance” by way of reply and didn’t hear from her again.
We had dinner with our neighbors tonight at Cardamom, the Indian restaurant just down Plymouth Road. The place was so busy and crowded this rainy night that the hostess encouraged us to wait for our table at Booksweet, the nearby bookshop. This good idea made waiting part of the fun. Dinner was delicious and, when we were finished, we were tempted to linger in that warm and cozy place. We didn’t, though. We hustled back out into the rain, tails high, and went home to our stalwart pooch.
6 January 2023