Must be the Season of the Grit, Yeah

Our best beloved dogpark (or Dog Play Area, as Parks and Recs calls it) is at St. Mary's Park, about half a mile away. It is a lovely place but, owing to drainage issues, gets closed after a rain so that it can dry off and the grass not be ripped up by dogs, um, playing in the area. Oh, and on Friday it doesn't open until 2pm because they're grooming it. There's a reason why it's a lovely place. And for about 2-3 months in winter, when it's raining most of the time, they shut it down entirely. It may sound like St. Mary's is never open; it may feel like St. Mary's is never open, but in fact it is, mostly.

On the days when it isn't open but it's not pouring down rain, Emily still needs to be exercised. Usually we go to the dogpark at 30th and Church, which is a smaller sand-based park, also about half a mile away. The chiefest problem with this park (aside from the fact that it's not St. Mary's, with an acre of grass and trees) is that Emily comes home gritty. The sand in her paws (and fur) from flinging herself into the air vigorously for an hour does not fall off or shed on the walk home. Which means that the floors of the house, particularly around her bed, which sits just to the left of my bed, take on a rime of sand. I have to dust my feet before I get into bed. Ick.

I go away for a weekend and return to find that we have entered, at least part time, the Season of the Grit. Ick.


In other news, I got a spate of Japanese spam in my Giants Win! post, one of which was in English (all from the same address) which said: "It's better for you to pay me $6M, rather than lawsuit." Better for them, certainly. I wonder what the rest of that conversation was.

A Sarah Tolerance Question

If I had to answer Questions about Miss Tolerance, what would they be?

The only one that immediately came to mind (other than "when will the next one be out?) was "Why do you keep calling her Miss Tolerance?"--a thing which seems to bother some readers. Anyone have another? I'm trying to fashion an FAQ page.

Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming

For those who have weighed in on the FAQ query:
( Read more... )

Progress

I came back from WFC feeling unaccomplished and mopey (I do this sometimes. Never mind it.) But today I not only did a bunch of background structure work on the next bunch of the book, and wrote all those silly FAQs, and voted...but I wrote a decent 1000 words that actually moves things forward.

I now am entitled to lunch and a dog walk. So is the dog, of course.

George Takei, My Hero

I know, I just can't shut up today, can I?

But via danjite I saw this, and it's just lovely.

I wound up cackling and tearing up at the same time.