OFF THE BEAT

I took these shots while on assignment Monday working on this story. That little orange guy above wasn’t one of the 25 cats rescued from the hot car, but he was definitely the most vocal of the caged strays in the room. He was whining and reaching his paws through the cages and just wanted to come out to play. Every time I visit an animal shelter, I ponder the possibility of adopting another pet. Then I leave with the thought that perhaps there are people out there willing to make them part of their families.

Watching a band jam out to your favorite Stevie Wonder tune sure makes you wish you hadn’t quit piano lessons before high school. At the time, girls and sports seems so much more important. Little did I know that music plays well with the ladies.

Sadly, I didn’t have a chance to chat with the proprietor of the Poem Store at the Ballard Farmer’s Market in Seattle.  But she appeared busy writing a piece for a family, and I didn’t want to disrupt the creative process. Fortunately, others also have noticed Meredith Clark’s niche business and have written about her as well. To my surprise, poem stores aren’t as uncommon as one might think. A simple interweb search reveals poem stores in California and Florida. A growing industry, perhaps? Maybe they’ll make their way to the Midwest one of these days.

Though I’ve lived in St. Louis for about five years, my first visit to the The Magic House in Kirkwood came just a few weeks ago. It’s been running for three decades and is considered by many to be one of those must-dos around here. And while little kids love it, the wacky museum’s 100-plus exhibits make big kids happy, too.

After some extremely risky pulls, we reached 32 rows before that Jenga tower came crashing down. It’s obvious who lost this one! Revenge for the embarrassing Scrabble loss a couple weeks ago.

Northwest Folklife Festival – Seattle, Wash.