dream ranch

First day of vacation at home a work and neighbor-related wreck. Shooting for clearing my head today. But only a newspaper guy involved with politics, hobbled by the election calendar, would choose to take time off in mid-June. My tri-color but mostly black “Aussie X” guy gets hot to the touch after moments in the sun. And he doesn’t like getting his feet wet, so trips to mountain streams don’t work — and most are down to a trickle anyway. So, we’ll try to do our best with walks at dawn and dusk. I splurged and had central air conditioning installed last year, mostly for my pal’s benefit. This afternoon, I may take advantage of the new comfort, too, and watch my first World Cup soccer match on TV — U.S. versus Portugal. Even though it’s vacation, I been trying to catch up on the rest of world: So, immigration issues this morning and the most popular sport this afternoon. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll get around to all those chores I planned to do.