THE BREEDS OF DOGS I'VE OBSERVED over the years seem to come in an ever-changing array of shapes and sizes.
As a youngster, my suburban neighborhood was full of Springers and Collies - without leashes I might add. As an adult, Retrievers led the most popular list. I tolerated a couple of them for the benefit of my children. Now, as I head into my twilight years, something peculiar appears to be happening in this breeding game. Small dogs dominate the streets and parks in my community. I can’t begin to guess at their make-up, even with the help of Google searches.
In high school, I was an aficionado of cars. I knew makes and models, various displacements, and rear-end differentials in every car that lined Woodward Avenue. If only high school would have tested me on this inventory of knowledge. I surely would have been at the top of my class.
I mention dogs and cars in this same breath as they represented my long ago interests. I believe now that my earlier proclivity for classification was an undertaking relegated to my younger synapses. I no longer can identify what makes up either group, nor do I much care.
However, in this introspective narrative, I can assure you that there still remains a few constants that still fire this boy's synapses, and one of those is the appeal of a strolling maiden.
Now, that puts a smile on my face.