It gets dark really early lately.
You’ve probably noticed, and I only want to mention it so that you realize that even though this story takes place in total darkness, it was really only 5:15pm.
Last night I was walking Kip, a dog who I’m legally responsible for taking care of and cleaning up after, and he pooped in a pile of leaves. I’d forgotten my phone and my flashlight and his poop is leaf-colored, so I did what any legally responsible person would do: I started slowly holding my hand over every part of the leaves, feeling for warmth.
It sounds gross, but it’s a lot like a metal detector: the metal detector part is my hand, and the metal is steamy dog poop.
But a person crouched on the ground feeling the air for poop warmth wasn’t the most exciting thing happening on our street: just then a kid screamed, and he yelled “Gordon, you really scared me.”
When I walked past the scared kid and his friend Gordon, they were calming down a bit. I asked them if they were ok and they said yes, like you do during a pandemic, to a person holding a poop bag full of leaves because the metal detector trick didn’t work (I know, I really thought it would work too).
Then, as I was walking away, “Gordon” turned to his scared friend and said:
He said it with more confidence than I’ve ever said anything. I say my own name with only 80% of the confidence that Gordon had when he said “You know, you can turn me back into a rock anytime.” I’ve been thinking about it all night. Partly because I don’t have too many other things to think about and partly because it raises so many questions.
Here are some other things to think about:
I’m a virtual resident artist at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh this winter - click here and make some of your own animal comics.
The Lily featured some of my new comics this week - thanks infinity to editor Rachel Orr, and thanks Lucy Cooke for making hyenas one of my favorite animals.
If you’re looking for a 2021 planner or diary, the Sad Animal Facts planner is still for sale at bookshop.org, Workman’s website, Amazon, or for international orders: bookdepository.com. I’m obviously biased, but I think it’s a good planner, to-do list maker, daily journal, or gift. There are interior photos on the Workman Publishing website.
The goats that were clearing invasive species in our neighborhood moved back home this week, and I’m making goat comics on Instagram for the rest of the week in their memory.
I'm really gonna miss all the goat (and donkey) posts on your Instagram, so I'm glad we'll at least get some goat comics to fill the goat shaped hole in our hearts :)