A pleasant neighborly moment

A few days ago, cattitude walked into the apartment, and explained that he'd just run into our neighbor Heather, who had gotten home from a hard day at work and had no milk for her tea, so he was bound on a mission of mercy. He poured about half a cup of milk into a plastic tumbler, and went out again for a couple of minutes, and observed that we'd be getting the tumbler back later.

This morning, the bell rang. I saw Heather and explained that I wasn't dressed (it's hot, and I had no plans to go back out), and opened the door a little bit. She said "Repayment in kind" and handed me, along with the tumbler, a glass bowl containing half a dozen small apples. I thanked her, told her she'd have the bowl back soon, and took it inside.

I have eaten one of the apples, and suspect it of having been picked too soon. One or the other of us will likely try another, but regardless of apple quality, the thought was kind.

A pleasant neighborly moment

A few days ago, cattitude walked into the apartment, and explained that he'd just run into our neighbor Heather, who had gotten home from a hard day at work and had no milk for her tea, so he was bound on a mission of mercy. He poured about half a cup of milk into a plastic tumbler, and went out again for a couple of minutes, and observed that we'd be getting the tumbler back later.

This morning, the bell rang. I saw Heather and explained that I wasn't dressed (it's hot, and I had no plans to go back out), and opened the door a little bit. She said "Repayment in kind" and handed me, along with the tumbler, a glass bowl containing half a dozen small apples. I thanked her, told her she'd have the bowl back soon, and took it inside.

I have eaten one of the apples, and suspect it of having been picked too soon. One or the other of us will likely try another, but regardless of apple quality, the thought was kind.

Some July books

( cut for length: books by Robert Parker, Shelly Jackson, Naomi Novik, Theodore Sturgeon, Anthony Price, C. J. Cherryh, Josephine Tey )

Some July books

( cut for length: books by Robert Parker, Shelly Jackson, Naomi Novik, Theodore Sturgeon, Anthony Price, C. J. Cherryh, Josephine Tey )

It could have been worse

The Idaho state commemorative quarter has a rather attractive portrait of a bird, supposed to be a peregrine falcon (it's hard to tell at that scale), the outline of the state, and the motto "Esto Perpetua," which I want to read as "Always this" but which the first web page I found about the quarter says translates as "May it be forever." That web page also tells me that one of the rejected designs had the words of the state song. There are two four-line verses, and an eight-line chorus; I can only guess that the engravers at the Mint, who are asked to mock up the designs the states submit, aren't allowed to say "Hey, I know you mean well, but this just can't be done in that little space." Not if they wanted it read, rather than to just say "Hey, we have an inane state song, like most of the other states." [Not all--Georgia and Oklahoma have songs people listen to.]

I also found a Web page hosting a petition urging that the design be changed, on the grounds that peregrine falcons aren't specifically Idahoan, that the Mountain Bluebird and the Syringa have been state symbols longer, and that non-Boiseans would feel alienated by a design that connected to the World Center for Birds of Prey.

It could have been worse

The Idaho state commemorative quarter has a rather attractive portrait of a bird, supposed to be a peregrine falcon (it's hard to tell at that scale), the outline of the state, and the motto "Esto Perpetua," which I want to read as "Always this" but which the first web page I found about the quarter says translates as "May it be forever." That web page also tells me that one of the rejected designs had the words of the state song. There are two four-line verses, and an eight-line chorus; I can only guess that the engravers at the Mint, who are asked to mock up the designs the states submit, aren't allowed to say "Hey, I know you mean well, but this just can't be done in that little space." Not if they wanted it read, rather than to just say "Hey, we have an inane state song, like most of the other states." [Not all--Georgia and Oklahoma have songs people listen to.]

I also found a Web page hosting a petition urging that the design be changed, on the grounds that peregrine falcons aren't specifically Idahoan, that the Mountain Bluebird and the Syringa have been state symbols longer, and that non-Boiseans would feel alienated by a design that connected to the World Center for Birds of Prey.