A Snail in The Kale

Palo Alto is blessed with the best weather in the Bay Area. Summer is no exception. We don’t have San Francisco’s fog nor the overheating of anyplace south of Santa Clara. Unlike the East Bay our hills are bathed with evergreens, old growth and moisture. The coastal range that climbs south from the Gate uplifts at highway 92 and runs directly to the west of Palo Alto forming a rampart that allows refreshing coast breezes most days while standing resolute again coastal fog, always.

Summer is upon us here in Palo Alto and the sun’s white hot fuse has burned and burst into the gardens, flower beds and farmers markets of my neighborhood. I’m caring for Jesse’s garden and chickens while she is away. I’ve been training her chickens. Training chickens isn’t difficult as they only have a couple of tricks in their nature. The training consists of reminding them of that nature. I’ve trained her chickens to scurry out the front door when I open their hutch in the morning. I’ve also got them trained to waddle back up the ramp and into their coop right after the sun goes down.

Jesse will train them to lay eggs in a couple of months.

Palo Alto. Shallow Alto. It is fun to squat here with the rich and the famous and the incredibly well-educated. I’d say smart, or even wise, but I don’t find any higher rate of intelligence or “smarts” here in Palo Alto than anywhere else in the world. But we are certainly well educated and rich. Or is the word I’m looking for wealthy. Either way, it is cool to live in such an interesting place and at such an interesting time.

Stanford has its firework celebration tonight, July 3rd. The well-educated often celebrate in alternative ways. After the well-trained chickens settle I’m going over, finding a spot on the grass and watching the night sky rocket to life.

All Good Things