I’ll have plenty of time for posting tomorrow, as I fly cross-country from Seattle to Tampa.  I’ll lose three hours in the process.  Last night was indeed outstanding – “Outstanding in the Field.”  It was our fifth dining experience with the company that does group dinners in outdoor settings all over the world.  The table was set this time on Netarts Bay, just west of Tillamook.  The guest chef was from Ranata restaurant in Portland, and the host was the Jacobsen Salt Company.  On the site of a former oyster farm, the company converts water from the bay into gourmet salts.  The tour was very interesting, as part of a reception that also included appetizers and wine by the gallon.  It’s a pricey event, but each year we find it well worth the money.

We went with friends who live in that area, and stopped by their house on the way there, to admire some of their improvements.  Their cat was on the kitchen table, and when I reached out to play, it bit my arm, leaving a small puncture mark.  I hope I don’t get, “Cat Scratch Fever,” since I couldn’t keep that song out of my mind as we enjoyed dinner.  I’ll keep an eye, and some antiseptic, on it.  I also felt sorry for their two huge playful dogs, who probably thought that we would bring our two dogs to romp with them.  They are best of friends.  Instead, they were once again stuck at home with the ornery cat.  While I watched all these “lovable” creatures in one room, I could only imagine what they were thinking as we walked out the door.  Also, since we had just visited the Oregon Zoo last weekend, I thought of this cute little poem that I wrote about our dogs several years ago:

 

Mammal Mania

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They chase our cats,

Have caught a mouse.

Not much going on,

When stuck in the house.

.

Their first attack,

By bugs or flies.

They might admit,

Was a big surprise.

.

They dream to escape,

Free to see the world.

Who knows what they think?

When they lie there curled.

.

The world to them,

Is our backyard.

To know what’s out there,

As our faithful guard.

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We go for walks,

And rides in the car.

And on occasion,

We go quite far.

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Strange new sights,

Through the eyes of a dog.

Like the time they came,

Nose to nose with a frog.

 

Or at the lake,

A ferocious bark.

It’s only a fish,

Not a shark!

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Or a close encounter,

With a big old goat.

Scary horns,

And a wooly coat.

.

Sometimes they’re wrong,

It’s not what they think.

They turn into chickens,

And raise a big stink.

 

So much commotion,

Growls and moans.

Some wild beast?

Just Traffic cones.

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They try to be brave,

Put up a good front.

So little time,

So much to hunt.

.

These pups get excited,

At the sight of any mammal.

Especially the day,

They spotted a camel.

.

I haven’t seen,

Such barking activity.

As I drove by,

A Live Nativity.

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Squirrels are their favorite,

A more favorable size.

They’ve never caught one,

After many futile tries.

.

Birds are mysterious,

As they fly away.

Why can’t we fly?

If words they could say.

.

Once an armadillo,

Was an attraction.

It was unimpressed,

Showed little reaction

.

They haven’t seen a snake,

Reptile or crocodile.

Hope that doesn’t happen,

For a long while.

.

And any encounter,

With a Giraffe.

Without a doubt,

Would make me laugh.

.

Not to mention,

An Elephant.

Can you imagine?

I certainly can’t.

.

Let alone,

A Dinosaur.

Extinct impossibility,

To hear that roar.

 

If they only knew,

What lurks outside

They rely on me,

To be their guide.

.

A trip to the Zoo,

Would be the best.

Lions and Tigers,

A true bark feat.

.

Then back home,

To dream some more.

About these strangers,

Outside the front door.

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johnstonwrites.com copyright 2012