Hey, Astro: Thanks for stopping by. We don't put too much stock in table manners.

Couple things. This morning, Ruth and I went for our walk along the river and I cracked up (mje, not the car.) I saw a couple getting out of their car and taking out a stroller and a papoose style baby carier that she slung across her chest. I figured they were taking care of their grandkids as they looked more our age. Then I noticed that the man was holding something in his hand. All I could see was a dog's head with a leash on it. Sounds like something out of a Stephen King movie. It was hard to imagine a dog body hidden behind the man's hand and forearm. But there was. The big dog was a long-haried chihuahwa. As they approached us, I could see that the woman wasn't wearing a baby carrier. It had a mesh window in the front and the little dog, which was a silky toy terrier, was staring out through the window, menacingly. Turns out he has a nasty temperament. She had to keep an eye on him. If he got away, he might attack you, leaping up and biting your ankle. wooooooo. The long-haired chihuawha was very friendly. When you're that little, it's wise not to have an attitude. The stroller was for the Chiwahwah for when his wittle wegs got too wored out. The couple told us that they didn't have any children or grandchildren, so they had the dogs. I asked them if they'd named the George and Mary Lou, but they had grandeloquent names longer than their legs.

We stopped for a minute to talk with my long lost friend Colagero, who I wrote about in a chapter in my book. I hadn't seen him in several months. He talked excitedly in broken, unfixable English and I got the gist of his conversation. We caught up with the proud grandparents and the Toy Terrier with jaws of steel was back glowering out of the mesh windwow and the Chiwhawha had stopped to smell a fence post, catching up on the latest news.

Jerry