Catucopia

They just stick together like Lego pieces.

It's a Chicago thing

Sometimes, a man just needs to recharge himself at the wellspring of his soul. I found a Chicago dog place.

Strange fruit

Yet another mystery fruit is growing in our yard. Not avocado (an exciting first guess). Not papaya. Not guava. No idea.

Not in Kansas (or Minnesota) any more

They don't sell oysters at the farmer's markets in Minnesota.

News you can use

This poster outside the local grocery store gave me pause. That big fire is still roaring away in the mountains. This is today's map. The red line marks the "uncontrolled" border, which happens to be just a mile north of where I'm shopping.

Four (West Coast edition)

Celebrating Ellen's real birthday at preschool. No sweets are allowed, so the parents sponsor pizza parties. The kids now associate birthdays with pizza. I can't decide if this is a bad thing or not.

Safety first

It made me laugh. On every flight on this trip, whenever the safety spiel would start, Ellen would pull out the instruction card and "follow along."