Howling good time!

My neighborhood has a lot of dogs. By my count there are 11 in close proximity to my house -- Mine, three next door, two next to them, one next to that house, and 4 at the three houses directly behind those. Most of the time they are all well behaved, except mine escaped on Friday and was picked up by the Dog Gestapo. It only cost me $42 in bail money to get her back.

Saturday, JD was practicing his trumpet. He has to practice 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Since the sound is unbearable, Kim, Kay and I went outside and enjoyed a quite evening next to the fire pit. We heard JD play one song and then nothing. 20 minutes later he joins us. "You need to practice 20 minutes, son."

JD: "I did."

Dad: "No. You didn't. We can hear you and that was more like two, not twenty."

JD: "I practiced 20 minutes."

Dad: "No. You didn't. Go practice."

JD: "If I practice more, I'm putting down 40 minutes."

Dad: "No. You won't. Go practice."

This went on for a while, then he reluctantly went back inside to practice. Moments later he was outside again, this time with trumpet in hand to "prove" that he had indeed practiced. He broke into a rousing rendition of Rock and Roll Blues or something with a similar title. Let me just say: Louis Armstrong he ain't! Within moments of his first note, every dog in the neighborhood was howling. Kim and I started laughing but he kept on playing. When it was over you could faintly hear every dog in the neighborhood breathing a sigh of relief. Me too.

D