… and a little other news, too

We were in in Minnesota for a long weekend, visiting our daughter, son-in-law, and Jasper the Wonder Dog, a rescued Labradoodle who as a pup was mistreated by SOBs I confidently expect to spend eternity in Hell.* He’s a shy, timid, and understandably suspicious boy, but with lots of affection and gentle handling, he’s coming along well.

Jasper turns out to love the out-of-doors—even the very cold out-of-doors that has been Minnesota this winter—and H says she’s sure he’ll be a great mountain dog when they get back to New England in a little over a year. H and A take him out for a walk every evening on the wonderful lighted and plowed bike paths in Rochester, and in his huge shaggy winter coat, he loves to run, play, and roll around in the snow. He’s got “Sit” down pretty well, and stays in place while they take off his leash until he gets, “Okay,” then flies off on his romp, with A as his playmate. At the end, he’s reliable when one of them hollers, “Come.” (Photo courtesy of H and A.)

Both H and A are happy in Minnesota but really miss the mountains of northern New England. When they do come East for good next spring, though, it will not be as a couple with a dog, but as a family of three with a dog. H is due in early August—a next generation to wander the woods and hills with. We are just a little excited.

*A story that’s well known among American baseball fans: Two noted New York sportswriters, Pete Hamill and Jack Newfield, are sitting in a bar, and they start talking about people who would have to be in Hell if there is a Hell. They decide to rank their Top 3—the three people they’re absolutely certain would be there—and they each jot the names on a cocktail napkin. When they show their lists to each other, they are identical: Hitler, Stalin … and Walter O’Malley, the man who moved the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles.