There's something almost surreal about my neighborhood. Odd encounters.
Starting on our evening walk, I persuaded Jasper not to head straight to the Squirrel Grove at the DMV. The problem is that there are hardly any squirrels there. Even Jasper seemed to grasp that logic. Instead, we headed down a side street, where Jasper got aggressive while warning off several other dogs walking with their masters.
Up ahead, as we approached Broadway, we could hear a familiar dog barking. There was a stranger standing awkwardly on the street corner just outside the dog's fence. As we got closer, I could see the man had binoculars and with no guile whatsoever was carefully studying the back of a used car lot on Broadway. As we passed, I bid the man a steely hello, and we moved on to Broadway. Curious about the spying, Jasper and I dawdled on the sidewalk and started watching the used car lot too. A salesman was showing a customer the engine of a car for sale. It wasn't clear what was so compelling about that.
Jasper and I pushed on. We bid hello to a woman with a pram. We passed by a barber shop offering haircuts to people of all races and genders. The antique shop window displayed a dog pillow and a cat pillow sitting on an expensive couch rather than an actual dog and cat. We passed by a corner where we used to say hello to a Black Lab, but we hadn't seen the dog in a while. Joyfully, the Black Lab was home! I like that dog. He's a good boy!
Passing by one address featuring a tall fence surrounding a residence and a business, I was surprised to see a city notice of impending development. A proposal was pending to use this address for cannabis delivery. I was puzzled. Two years ago, when doing work for the census, I had counted the people at this residence. They were fresh Covid-19 refugees from San Francisco. I was puzzled then why they'd move to Sacramento - surely no safer than San Francisco - but lots of people were on the move during the pandemic, including people already wanting to move away from San Francisco.
"Hey!" a man shouted, as he came bounding the steps of the residence. He had noticed me reading the notice. This man wasn't familiar; certainly not one of the San Francisco refugees. Talking through the tall fence, he asked, "What is your impression of the development proposal?" I pondered. "Well, it's not very far away from the cannabis dispensary on Broadway, so I was thinking maybe it's just too much for the neighborhood." The man listened and eagerly explained the proposal. "It for a cannabis delivery service; not a place for cannabis sales. So, people won't be gathering here. But get this: free armed security for my family!"
The guy had a point. This area can get pretty rough, with all the homeless people nearby, especially along this strip. That's why the address had a tall fence. Indeed, there was a murder near here several years ago. I said, "I live near the DMV parking lot, and with all the security guards there, I've never had a burglary. Free security is great!" The man smiled. I got his point and was persuaded. I wouldn't oppose this development proposal. Meanwhile, Jasper and his dog were making friends through the fence. He repeated, "free armed security for my family!"
Jasper and I moved on, and sure enough, were captured by the irresistible allure of the Squirrel Grove. Sure enough, there were no squirrels there. The spell was broken. We started heading home. We were close enough to where the man with the binoculars had been that I should be able to see him if he was still there. So, I started staring intently across the street, trying to spot him. "Hello," a woman said with steely resolve that seemed to say, "watch out; this guy is a loon." "Hello," I replied. "Just walking the dog."
Jasper and I started following the woman, from a distance. I had gotten a strange vibe from her, like she might be homeless. She walked carefully, right along the perimeter of the cemetery. As Jasper and I got home, I saw her plop down in the dry grass right along the fence, where she'll no doubt bunk down for the night.
Home is where the squirrels are, Jasper.
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