Many of my readers ask me what I am thinking about. Okay, just Momma and Daddy ask me that but they do read my Notes from Casa de Togo. Thus, my initial statement is technically correct. You just need to expand1 your definition of “many.” Regardless, the question has been raised.
I think a lot about what I think about. It’s very, very complicated. So I thought (there I go again) I might start with something easier. So today I’m writing about what I see.
Even that’s a little complicated because it depends on where I am. If I’m home, I often see what’s outside the front door.
You’d be surprised what I can see out my front door. We live in a quiet neighborhood so there aren’t a lot of cars except at going-to-work time and coming-home time. As the General Manager and Chief Security Officer at Casa de Togo, I work from home. That means that I can keep tabs on all of the people who are going and coming.2
I also get to see people who walk or jog in our neighborhood. While I am attentive when they go by, I don’t have a compelling reason to think about them. Although I do know a few of them who Daddy and I see on our walk. If you are one of them and have greeted me warmly, I do feel a certain amount of oxytocin enter my blood stream if you walk by.
Two categories of things I see do capture my rapt attention.
People who are walking by with dogs3 are of great interest. Not really the people so much, but the dogs. Oh, the dogs! There are big ones and tiny ones. I like them all. I know a few of them because they are neighbors — Willie, Hazel, and Casey are the ones I see the most.4 Sometimes the dogs see me and leave me pee-mail messages on the lawn. I check those daily when Daddy and I go for a walk. You’d be surprised at the gossip.
The second category of interest are unleashed animals. More specifically, cats and birds. Daddy says that the birds are wild creatures and have no human owners. So they are free to go wherever they want. While that sounds pretty cool, it’s nice to have people on your team you can rely on. Sometimes in the late afternoon, Daddy and I sit out on the back porch and watch the white wing doves that roost nearby. They gather during the last hours before sunset and then, one by one, fly off to their sleeping place for the night. I think it would be better to go to a nice house and family. But hey, doves, you do you!
We have a number of birds who flit and fly around our front door. Blue jays, doves, an occasional cardinal, mockingbirds, and the notorious robins. Even if we don’t see the robins, we know when they’ve been there because they run amuck through the flowerbed in their search for bugs. And, much to Daddy’s displeasure, they kick the mulch around. Of course, that results in more work for him as our Maintenance and Grounds person for Casa de Togo.
We have a few cats who wander by. One in particular seems to be a regular. Daddy has tried to get a picture but I think this cat is probably in a witness protection program. He skedaddles every time Daddy pulls out his phone to snap one. We don’t know his real name, but Daddy calls him Vincent. He only has one ear. I’ve requested additional information about him from the national cat database. All I’ve gotten back are scattered reports of sightings of Vincent from as far away as a city block. I’d like to get him in my network of informants, but I’ll have to build up trust slowly.
I also see flowers, trees, grass, and sky. No big story there. But here’s a nice picture.
So back to the original question: What do I think about? The things I see are just the tip of the iceberg.5
Or is it “contract?” This is a valid path of inquiry because many human people have trouble with what the word “many” means — like the former president. If a word doesn’t mean what you think it means it can become very confusing.
I know what you’re thinking and, like me, you’re making your thinking too complicated. If you are one of the people who drive by my house on your way to work, the answer is “Yes,” I do know when you are late for work. But don’t worry, in accordance with the National General Manager and Chief Security Officer Code of Ethics, that information is safe with me. Unless, of course, you are engaged in criminal activity. If that’s the case, you’re on my watch list. Oddly, I’ve found that most criminal enterprises aren’t real sticklers for punching a clock.
Never cats, for some reason.
My next door neighbors, Murphy and Millie, don’t go on walks as much, but I get to visit and play with them through the fence. Good neighbors are the best!
Daddy says that’s a good phrase to use since all you can see of an iceberg is just the tip. Apparently, we don’t have icebergs in Abilene — or at least on this side of town. So I can’t verify that. But Daddy wouldn’t feed me bad information. Or at least I don’t think he would.
Mia, I see that you see, but oh, the stories you could tell. Thank goodness those ethics things limit what you can tell. ¿Si?
I bet you see things we never see because we never get down low enough to explore. It is delightful to explore for exploration sake. Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple and just observe.