When the phone rings at 5:30 a.m. here we ignore it. It happens frequently enough that we’ve learned it’s usually a time difference challenged caller from the mainland who will either leave a message cluelessly, or leave a stammering message about just having looked at a clock. This morning there was no message, but caller ID showed that it was my dad (unusual). From his cell phone (very unusual). Which he is now not answering. Does this mean emergency? Or does it mean he missed me early this morning? So far, after checking with other family members, no reports of trouble. But 5:30 in the morning is too early to be wondering!

Oh, and here’s a little bit of neighborly insight. Little tiny dogs have barks that carry a long way. It may sound cute to you, but if your dog is barking incessantly, you can be sure that the neighbors two blocks away are saying some not very nice things about your sweetums.