Povey Prattle

Butternut squash, halved, seeds removed, and baked with butter and maple syrup in the seed well. I removed the baked flesh from skin, and ate it for lunch,  mashed with the butter/maple syrup sauce. I have another half for tomorrow  (see above).

They walked towards me on Tuesday afternoon at Arlington Park - an early twentyish couple - dating or just good friends, I know not. Without so much as a "hi" she said "is he a Border Collie?" Then he said "an Australian Sheep Dog?" "No" I said to her.  "No" I said to him. Then I turned my mind to auto-pilot and spoke my automatic speel, ( speil ,  spele ,  speal ,)  "I don't know what breed he is. Perhaps there's some English Setter, or English Golden Retriever, mixed in with Brittany Spaniel  -  but since I do not know, I have decided that his breed in "Darling". I was walking the trail clockwise and they anti-clockwise so when we met again I pointed to the young man and asked the young woman "and what is his breed?"  "A Nathaniel" she replied, which  led me into an unrehearsed  speel about Nathaniel in the New Testament.  In hindsight this must have utterly confused him. ...

A few years ago Alma and her husband Benny opened a cafe in my nearby Sarasota Commons plaza (   935 N Beneva Rd, Sarasota, FL 34232) They named it "Alma's Kouzine" They were in a unit which had never done well, but they changed all that.  It quickly  became the default breakfast and lunch (and Friday/Saturday dinner) spot for me,  for many of my friends, and for at least eight of my family members who ate there with me on various and sundry visits from England. The food was superb. Apart from that, Alma herself was the star. She made each and every guest feel right at home from the time their feet crossed the door line until they left, well fed and deeply happy.  This was not just a cafe -  it was a place of genuine hospitality. Came the time that Benny and Alma moved their business to Venice (boo hoo for us) and renamed it "Joy's Kouzine".  I've been down to Joy's Kouzine three or four times since their  move and did...

Looks can be deceiving.  Not everyone who looks honest and friendly can be trusted. Here's the story.   Yesterday (Oct 29th) Zion and I went out for his final pee walk of the day, just after dark.  We passed by the home of my neighbours B and P who were sitting outside in the cool of the evening. P said "come and join us". I was glad to so do. They reminded me that they hailed from Pittsburgh, and that they grew up in a neighbourhood close to Squirrel Hill -  the site of last Saturday's terrorist attack at a Synagogue. We lamented this atrocity. As we chatted P  made a fuss of Zion, and I did the same to their Irish Terrier Seamus. It was a pleasant time, one in which I rejoiced in being able to walk out in our neighbourhood, and visit with my neighbours. Z and I got home.  He dropped something on my porch. It was one of those canine rawhide chews.  The little bugger had stolen it from P, B and Seamus, and carried it home in his jaws. ...

PRESIDENT TRUMP AS REPORTED BY THE LONDON (U.K) INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER ON 29th OCTOBER 2018 Donald Trump has once again branded the mainstream media the "enemy of the people", just days after a pipe bomb was sent to CNN's offices and 11 people were shot dead at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. "There is great anger in our Country caused in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the news," the US president wrote on  Twitter . "The Fake News Media, the true Enemy of the People, must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly." "That will do much to put out the flame of Anger and Outrage and we will then be able to bring all sides together in Peace and Harmony. Fake News Must End!"

Of course I was compelled by my heart and mind this morning to stop by the home of my friend Rabbi Michael Shefrin.  He lives nearby with his wife Shayna and their very young son Jacob.  I took a pot of gorgeous golden chrysanthemums to make up for my stammering tongue. Just as I arrived at their home Rabbi Michael was getting into his car.  The "mums" spoke for themselves.  No words were needed. The Rabbi and I simply held onto each other and wept. I did it for humanity  -  no that's pretentious.   I did it for Jacob.  Seventy five years ago a wee lad of his age (about eighteen months)  would have been fodder for a death camp. --------------------------------------------------------------------- This terrorism took place in Pittsburgh, PA.  Yesterday the Episcopal Bishop of Pittsburgh published these words, far more profound than any political clap-trap I have seen. From Dorsey W.M. McConnell, Episc...