We had our first brush with West Nile Virus
today – a dead crow
in the park behind our house. Thinking back over the day, I realize that I heard much less crow activity this morning. Usually there’s a boisterous group that comes through our yard, but today it was quiet. While I wrote this, one crow came by, alone. It called out, then flew away on the next wind. It’s even quieter now.  

Our local paper had an article the other day on the drawing school that “taught” Charles Schultz
(though he said he was not a good student, and received a C+ in drawing children). Accompanying the article was an early sketch by Charles Schultz, of a Snoopy prototype and a little girl, eye to eye. Both were so eager, open – sweet – that I had to try to draw it myself, and then I wanted to see if I could draw a cat that was just as sweet. It’s harder than it looks
.