The Trailing Edge

I recently have had occasion to visit people in their homes. They don't always invite me in, which is fine. But when they do, I'm seriously shocked. This is not an "upscale" part of town, for the most part. I'm far from the only person in my Zip code to occupy a mobile home. There's an abundance of communities like mine, within a mile or two. The alternative is what used to be called "tract housing" - it sits on a foundation but otherwise is very similar to a manufactured home.  I often agonize over the exterior of my home - our beloved Porch Kitties know little about hygiene or housekeeping, and as a result, we have a few too many flies out there, and some unappetizing smells when the wind and humidity are just so. We fortunately don't get many visitors so there aren't many moments of embarrassment. And a complete overhaul should begin next week to install a nice ramp, remove the crumbling steps and close off access to under the porch once a...

    Humans and animals have always talked to each other.  Lest you think this untrue, consider if a human were walking by a pig pen and were to say to a pig therein, hello , the pig would wag its piggly wiggly little tail and come running over.  If a pig were to grunt, hello at a human walking by his pen, the human would look over and keep walking by.  What is never clear is did the human not understand the pig or simply ignored the lower status pig. Humans are like that - ignoring lower status animals while courteous to higher status animals.  If a lion were to roar, hello to a passing human, you can be assured that the human would stop, look at the lion, and gently and as sweetly as possible say, nice lion . Humans are animals too.  We talk to each other, all too often, with not much worthwhile to say. If a rich human is passing by, the other huma...