I have been advised that it is black cat appreciation day and as much as I appreciate our former cat resident Rascal, and my ragtag curmudgeon Hattie, for some reason I was missing Bob today.

Of course I miss cute baby Bob but mostly I miss Bob the Protector.

Remember when Ernie got out of the hospital last year? He was so horribly sick and weak? And the minute Owen got Ernie in the house and into a chair, Bob was there to claim him.

Ernie insisting he didn’t need to lay down.
I think they both felt a little better once Bob was in his appointed role as guardian of Ernie. That little determined face poking up behind the blanket just kills me.

After Ernie being gone so long in the hospital, Bob didn’t like him leaving even for a moment. He’d always be at the door to greet him if he went out. Here he is patiently waiting for Ernie, who’d had the temerity to go out on the porch without him.

I really, really miss that Bob.

Ahhhhh. OK then. We went by the Rosebowl on Sunday for the Folk & Roots fundraiser. We were there mostly for the Occasional Cajun Band and they sounded great. See that woman dancing with her baby (below). I used to dance with Leo like that when he was that size. I remember dancing to an Alan Jackson album of covers a lot. Our favorite was Kiss an Angel Good Morning. Well, that and Pop A Top. He would just smile and giggle and it was one of the best feelings in the world. Now’s he off to Virginia for the week to document some more train signals. They’re like neon signs—dropping like flies.

Look at that cute guy wearing an Eric Ambel shirt. AND he’s got popcorn!

Last night we had a couple of pork chops that we simply seared in a bit of olive oil. The corn won the plate (tomatoes and then green beans as runners up). I rarely serve corn as a side and when I do it’s usually more of a succotash type thing with tomatoes and peppers and green beans. We had a bunch of beautiful corn though and I wanted it to be cornier. I (meaning Ernie) cut the kernels of the cob. I put a knob of butter in the pan and when it was melted I added some Old Bay Seasoning. I let that cook a minute and added the corn, sautéed it until hot and cooked through. No need to add salt as there is already salt in the Old Bay (learned that the hard way). It just felt like summer on a plate. A little splurgy, but so summer.

Yesterday was made up of updating my resume (looking for part time remote work folks) and then a few hours in the MRI waiting room. We’ll see what the results say about my baby.

Onward.

Thoughts?