Days end with ice cream
In a shed of unfinished projects at the Southern California Railway Museum
We walk the dogs late, when the coyotes are out, though we rarely see them. Mazie takes the lead, otherwise she pulls and pants and races ahead on her hind legs till she’s back out in front again. I wish we could turn her into a person.
These dogs have no discipline, none whatsoever. Zookie won't go outside unless you bribe him, and they both pee and poo in the house. If I took them to the off leash park, I might never see them again.
After the walk, we wind things down. Some final work, then TV. We're making our way through Perry Mason. When did we start? Last summer? My mom used to watch, when all the shows were black and white, and Zenith was a piece of furniture.
If everything falls into place, that means it's ok to eat ice cream. An It’s It or a pint, though now a pint has been dumbed down to 14 ozs, carried home in a plastic sack you have to specifically ask and pay for, even though it's just a dime.
Did you see my friend Roger on TV? The one who showed up with hair down to his feet and a full beard the first day of 8th grade? He said, “I'm not trying to save the planet, I just want to annoy the fuck out of you!” He eventually cut his hair and ran for Governor.
I explained to Penny that Perry did not win all his cases, just the ones they show on TV. But I won't watch Perry without Penny, not even ones we've already seen. And I won't eat ice cream if Perry’s not on. And I eat ice cream slowly, the way Roger used to eat his lunch, dragging out the experience and making us all crazy. I had to learn to slow down to survive those lunches with Roger.
Weird shit happens when you're a kid. Cows jump over the moon, pancakes roll down the hill, Roger grows his 8th grade beard. Perry goes back in time to pull Buck Rogers out of a jam. Shouldn't we be on Mars?
Fold three dimensional space like a piece of paper, and you could be on Mars in no time. Eating ice cream and watching Perry, every night, till the cows jump over the moon.
