Lurchers

There were a lot of dogs out in Ragle Ranch park this morning when we decided to revisit an old Sebastopol haunt. These two, we were told by their owner, are Lurchers, sighthounds crossed with another breed. Their bushy eyebrows and dainty feet gave them a certain je ne sais quoi  that made them irresistible  blip subjects. I can't say the same for their name….

…which might better describe handlers running their dogs at the Westminster dog show. An article in the Style section of the New York Times this morning described the sartorial choices made by the handlers... St John's suits, which have a lot of "give" and complement the dog without upstaging it and flat shoes seemed to be a popular choice for women and suits with ties with a tiny dog print (preferably the breed being shown) and matching pocket square for the men. I never thought St John's suits were the least bit stylish on anybody. Middle aged dog trainers should not be required to run, and pants can be quite elegant and look much better with flat shoes.

The Farmers' Market yielded some exotic wild mushrooms and mixed braising greens. The charming young man who sells many varieties of dried shell beans with his young, pregnant wife, was alone today, so I risked  asking if his wife had had her baby. I don't usually ask questions just that way, because, as I have learned to my cost, she might not be his wife or, worse yet, might not actually be pregnant, but it seemed a safe bet so is risked it. He was, in fact, the proud, and very tired,  father of a girl, ten days old. We finished our market circuit with a baguette from Raymond's bakery in Cazadero, which we ate on the way home.