Miracles with paws

The following hangs in my vet's examination room, amongst all the charts about vaccinations and general care. I often read through it as I'm waiting for him to come in. I recall it, in particular, two years ago this April, as my elderly dog Brandy lay unconscious, about to be put to sleep. It helped me feel a little bit better, reminding me to focus on the nice times that far outweigh the hard times.

Good food

At the Whole Foods Market earlier today, I ran across something quite delicious. It's a lentil dip called Azeefa. Free samples of it were being offered, and wow -- was it delicious! I tasted (and subsequently purchased) the Azeefa-Hot variety (flavored with spicy jalapeno peppers and lime). There are two other varieties, Medium and Mild.

A couple of noteworthy reasons for writing about this. This dip is 100% vegan -- no animal products of any kind went into the making of it. (It feels good to not fund the mistreatment of animals whenever possible.) Also, the kitchen that makes the Azeefa dip is a startup business in St. Louis -- Berhanu Organic, located on Washington Avenue. Its founder, Sine Berhanu, shown in the accompanying photo, was a delight to talk with.

And she makes a pretty awesome (and nutricious) dip, too!

Next week: There's Super Sunday, Super Tuesday, Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be so boring, by comparison...

A dog story

My doorbell rang a few nights ago at 11:30. It was a neighbor, from a few streets over. She saw that my living room light was still on. She asked if I had a German Shepherd or knew of someone nearby who has one, because there was one huddled under a parked car at the end of the street. I didn't, but I wanted to help. It was very cold out (around 12 degrees and falling).

My neighbors DeJean, Michael, Joan and I all tried to get the dog to come to one of us. We wanted to take him into one of our warm houses for the night. But he wouldn't come to any of us. And his bark had a distinct "come no further" sound to it. At one point we used dog biscuits as bait to get him to follow us. It worked to only a certain distance; he would always return to the area of the parked car.

So we brought him blankets, food and water for the night.

The next morning, he was still there. He was cuddled up on the blankets. The water in his bowl was frozen solid.

He seemed happy to see us, but continued to keep his distance. Finally, though, DeJean & I coaxed him into the back seat of her car using dog treats. That's where he is in the accompanying photo, finally warm and presumably content -- during the 10-minute drive to the animal shelter, we think he actually fell asleep!

The person at the shelter was a lot braver handling him than we were, and it turns out the dog is a softie! He was just scared. We think he may have been dumped in our neighborhood, probably right where the parked car was, wanting to stay near the parked car so that when his family would return for him, he'd be there for him.

DeJean & I have put "Found German Shepherd" posters around the neighborhood, just in case he is someone's dog who got out and got lost.

But we're not expecting to hear from anyone missing him...

About the photo of Hillary and me...

Several folks have asked who took the photo of Hillary and me from the Clinton rally of last Saturday evening. Hillary had an assistant/aide who was at her side as she worked through the large crowd after her speech. Many of us had our arms extended requesting a photo; I was lucky enough that my camera was one of those that the assistant/aide selected. (I am also so glad that the photo came out as well as it did! It's not like I could have asked for a do-over!)

Conflict and human drama in "Vertical Hour"

My freelance review:

Conflict is a central theme of The Vertical Hour, an intelligent, intriguing drama now playing at the Studio Theatre at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

The play, written in 2006 by British political playwright David Hare, focuses on Nadia, a former war correspondent and now a professor of International Relations at Yale. She knows exactly what her stance is on the war in Iraq and the United States' role in world affairs. She has seen action firsthand on the battlefields of Sarajevo and Baghdad, she has advised Bush on foreign affairs, and yet she is ever-so-nervous as she accompanies her boyfriend Philip to Wales to meet his opinionated and lethally charming father, Oliver.

The theme of conflict plays out in numerous ways. There's political discord between Nadia and Oliver, who vehemently opposes the war in Iraq. There's deep-rooted father-son dissension between Oliver and Philip. And there are varying degrees of personal unrest among all three of the main characters, especially as Oliver slowly and seductively reveals his secret past to Nadia.

Director Jim O'Connor delivers an intimate and engaging production -- exactly what is needed for a show like this. Courtesy of scenic and costume designer Marie Anne Chiment, lighting designer Mark Wilson and stage manager Champe Leary, the ambience is warm and inviting, much like one might imagine at a Welsh country home. And in the Rep's creative Studio Theatre, the creative integration of the stage and the seats brings the audience right into the story. At times the actors were no more than 2-3 feet away from me!

With such an intimate, well-written and well-staged production, a lot hangs on the caliber of the acting. And I'm pleased to report that the acting is superb. Kudos to Gloria Biegler as Nadia, Anderson Matthews as Oliver and Jeremiah Wiggins as Philip.

The Vertical Hour is a thought-provoking examination of personal and political conflict. It plays through Feb. 3 at the Studio Theatre at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in Webster Groves.

Clinton rally

Here are several of my photos from the Clinton campaign rally Saturday night at McCluer North High School, including one photo of the presidential candidate with me! I was very lucky to get that one taken. More photos here.