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Sometimes I blog about cloud panoramas and ocean vistas. Sometimes I blog about luxury hotels and extraordinary restaurants. Sometimes I even blog about things as simple as a nice walk on the beach or a pleasant swim in a pool. But I can honestly say this is a first for me. Because today our topic is lowly, but nonetheless important in a civilized community. At least it’s important in a civilized community that has dogs. Perhaps you can see where I’m going with this. It’s just that our society has become dog crazy in recent years. Hey, that’s fine with me. I like dogs. And cats. I like animals generally. But when these animals live around people, they often cause a … how can I best put this? A problem. A lowly problem, if you catch my drift. But you know what? The thought struck me just yesterday that this issue is not an issue in the Fort Lauderdale area. And, lowly as it may seem, I found this realization something quite extraordinary. Not as extraordinary as the food at Cero Restaurant, let’s say – but yes, amazing in its own way.
So here I was yesterday morning, dressed up for an important appointment as head of my nonprofit group, driving on I-95 with my convertible top down. Nice morning, wind toussling my hair in some manner that I hoped would look devil-may-care by the time I parked my car. And then while still driving, sniff, sniff … What is it? Hm, wait. I know this smell. It smells – lowly.
Of course I’m trying to glance at the soles of my shoes while traveling 70 mph, an idea I quickly abandoned. But that’s when this thought hit me: I’ve lived here for 19 years and can only remember stepping in something lowly around here maybe once or twice in that whole period. Perhaps this is the kind of thing my memory tends to blot out. I’m not positive about that. But seriously, or being as serious as I can about a topic like this – it hasn’t happened often. The streets and sidewalks are astonishingly clean of such hazards, for the most part. I’m certainly not claiming this statement will hold up to scrutiny 100 percent of the time, mind you. But generally, it’s quite true, I think. My shoes would back me up on this. That has not been true other places I’ve lived. When I was a San Francisco resident, I practically rolled on the floor laughing over a TV news editorial about this very thing: “We have a problem here in our city. San Franciscans should be able to walk proudly, holding our heads high!” Funny because it was true. But not here. I have no idea why our fair metropolis seems to deal with this same civic concern more effectively. Maybe we’ve got very thoughtful dog owners. All I know is that yesterday when I got where I was going and parked my car and, yes, checked my shoes. Ta-dah! Nothing. Guess the odor was from one very smelly truck on the highway. Or maybe it was just a van full of dogs visiting from San Francisco.
So here I was yesterday morning, dressed up for an important appointment as head of my nonprofit group, driving on I-95 with my convertible top down. Nice morning, wind toussling my hair in some manner that I hoped would look devil-may-care by the time I parked my car. And then while still driving, sniff, sniff … What is it? Hm, wait. I know this smell. It smells – lowly.
Of course I’m trying to glance at the soles of my shoes while traveling 70 mph, an idea I quickly abandoned. But that’s when this thought hit me: I’ve lived here for 19 years and can only remember stepping in something lowly around here maybe once or twice in that whole period. Perhaps this is the kind of thing my memory tends to blot out. I’m not positive about that. But seriously, or being as serious as I can about a topic like this – it hasn’t happened often. The streets and sidewalks are astonishingly clean of such hazards, for the most part. I’m certainly not claiming this statement will hold up to scrutiny 100 percent of the time, mind you. But generally, it’s quite true, I think. My shoes would back me up on this. That has not been true other places I’ve lived. When I was a San Francisco resident, I practically rolled on the floor laughing over a TV news editorial about this very thing: “We have a problem here in our city. San Franciscans should be able to walk proudly, holding our heads high!” Funny because it was true. But not here. I have no idea why our fair metropolis seems to deal with this same civic concern more effectively. Maybe we’ve got very thoughtful dog owners. All I know is that yesterday when I got where I was going and parked my car and, yes, checked my shoes. Ta-dah! Nothing. Guess the odor was from one very smelly truck on the highway. Or maybe it was just a van full of dogs visiting from San Francisco.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 4:09 PM
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