Her dog, Sanchez, needs cleaning too.

The Chicago trip is going fine. This morning Arnica, his keeper, and his pet, all woke up early and ventured to neighborhood that was holding a forth of July parade. The parade was fun—lots of marching bands. Arnica struck up a conversation with the elderly woman whose lawn Arnica was using as a parade viewing station. In the course of the conversation, it was brought up that Arnica used to play trombone in a former life. The conversation went something like this:

Old Lady: Oh, you play the trombone?

Arnica: No, Arnica used to.

OL: That is nice. I still have the mouth piece of the trombone my son used to play. I use it as a paper weight. It is quite heavy.

A: Yes, they are.

OL: Yes.

A: Yup.

OL: So...

A: Did you say something?

OL: Hmm? No.

A: Oh... So, what became of the trombone.

OL: What trombone?

A: The trombone you said your son played—the one whose mouth piece you use as a paper weight?

OL: Oh, that.

A: Yes, that. What became of that trombone?

OL: We had to get rid of it. it was getting rusty.

A: So, you had a rusty trombone.

OL: Yes. Had to get rid of it.

A: Tee hee.

OL: What's so funny.

A: Oh, nothing.

Happy Independence Day