My first Sue Stauffacher was good enough that I want to read others by her. The "joint jive" was forced at times--it made me cringe in remembrance of a creative writing assignment in I hope no later than seventh grade that consisted of as much CB-radio jargon as I could manage, from a little book I probably found at a tag sale. Possibly I can blame this on...Alvin's Swap Shop? Isn't that the one where a Caribbean boy somehow got to the States and then to Alvin's town by way of a trucker? There was a stamp and a shell, I think. One of the Alvin books, anyway, I'm pretty sure.
Anyway. Still extremely handy that a child with a spine out of alignment from a dislocated shoulder and with obviously poor nutrition is strong enough to climb a rope. Also handy that, despite her considerable responsibilities, she reads enough to nickname someone Homer Price. Also handy that all the crumb snatchers haven't been warped. Despite such conveniences, a fine book.
Another thing I love about my neighborhood is free concerts in City Park on summer Sunday evenings. Possibly also that we can just walk to them, because they're not of such a calibre that I would otherwise make a particular effort for them. But plenty of other people do, and the streets fill up.
Ha! I just thought of this--that the curmudgeons who overtake every neighborhood meeting with parking issues because they seem to believe they have a right to the stretch of curb in front of their dwellings probably hate the concerts because they attract, gasp, traffic!
Yes, car and bike and foot traffic all, and dogs, and toddlers dancing, games of Frisbee and catch and and people you know and people you don't know reclining on blankets and noshing as if at a Roman feast and talking into sunset.
Mia is not so good with other dogs, so she didn't come, but Morgan did, she of the softest ears in the entire dog world. I petted her snout, that spatch of short fur just behind the nose being one of my favorite things in the world, but at least didn't tickle the hair between the pads of her hind paws, what with the bad hips. I have that much mercy.