Events

I thought to end the two-week run of Parker puppy photos with one of a game he invented. When he put the ball right between his paws like that, my job was to try grabbing it from him. He would try to pick it up. Since he had lots of teeth and I just had a hand, he would always win. Then, when he wanted me to toss it again, he'd roll it over to me with his nose. 18 April 2007 I miss him.

Winter began in the northern hemisphere this morning, which explains the gray cold enveloping Chicago. Nah, I kid: Chicago usually has a gray, cold envelope around it, just today it's official. And while I ponder, weak and weary, why the weather is so dreary, I've got these to read: Writing in the New York Times, Die Zeit columnist Jochen Bittner explains why Germans worry about the Republican Party's lies about the election. (Hint: Germany remembers 1918 differently than we do.) This year's Festival of...

There's a quiet dignity to dogs... 18 August 2007

Back when Evanston allowed dogs on restaurant and bar patios, Parker and I visited Tommy Nevin's Pub a lot. Sometimes there wouldn't be room on the patio per se, so I'd sit just inside. He, of course, had to stay just outside. Like this, mostly (1 July 2007):

We've got a day and a half of autumn left in Chicago. Here's what I'm reading on a lazy Sunday: Chicago's North Pond in Lincoln Park needs $7m in restoration work which it may not get next year. The Washington Post recaps the 20-day clown show of the president refusing to accept the results of the election. Will Wilkinson tries to sort out why so many people voted for him. Erika Christakis looks at how Covid-19 illuminated existing problems with the way we educate children. And finally, new research...

The Apollo Chorus has a concert tonight (register here; you can watch any time before Christmas), so I'm getting this out a little late. One problem with having a puppy, like Parker here at 9 months: action shots get more difficult (10 March 2007).

See that turquoise blanket he's on? I've only just thrown it out. I'm not even going to describe its condition after 13 years of a dog sleeping on it. (18 February 2007)

After 312 days in a row exceeding 10,000 steps, yesterday I fell asleep after dinner with only 9,624 on my Veno. I even did a 5.7-kilometer walk around my neighborhood. Oops. In a way, though, I'm a little relieved. Maybe I can be a bit lazy for a couple of days before starting another streak of 300+ days?

While 2020 hasn't given us a lot to be thankful for overall, I am thankful that I got to spend 14 years and 2 months with Parker. He was simply the best dog on the planet, and he lived a long and happy life. Parker at Bardwell Park, Evanston, Ill., 18 February 2007.

Getting my bête noir to pose for photos always challenged my patience and photography skills. This is his 3rd birthday portrait, 16 June 2009: