A strange sequence in the fall

“Well,” says Karin, “I didn’t see any fleas on Jasper today.”

Jasper has been of two minds: some days, he’s had a flea (just one); some days, he’s had none. Some days, Karin has bathed him. Other days, he’s gone unwashed.

Little Ziva has gone many days without having been caught harboring any fleas.

Samuel has had spots (not from fleas) and a fever. Today he is well again, but he napped five consecutive hours in the late morning and early afternoon. The outdoor temperature was in the seventies (F). Toward evening, I wore shorts and strolled with Samuel around the block. Quite a few dogs ran up to their fences and greeted us. Neighbors were out of doors, visiting one another or washing their cars; their zest made the wintry clouds and the leaf-less trees seem out of place.

I wonder if my old friend Madame is aware of this book, Onward and Upward in the Garden? It’s by Katharine White, who was married to E.B. Its chapters have titles like “Floricordially Yours.”