Gnomesane?

Left: Laurette Katharine Lunsford Hribal 1/2/1957 - 4/5/2009
Right: Oscar Mell Lunsford 1/5/1932 - 4/8/2009

Reflection and memory can seem so crystal clear after a death, so strong that there just isn't any doubt about the myriad tiny details that arise. Everything seems present for examination, and yet our tendency is to laud the dead; to raise them higher even than they may have been in life.

All week it's been raining off and on, and I've been buried in the intricacies of US tax season. The weekend's bright sunny weather arrived along with a breakthrough in my understanding of the Schedule C instructions, which would mean much clearer and easier filing, but also that I have to start over again.

Cleaning out an old notebook, I came across a scrap of paper covered in my cramped and hasty handwriting. Haven't found the source yet, so this is a translation of my scrawl. I can't recall the circumstances, but I heard a poem or a lyric, and was compelled to write it down. Probably, in 1999, since it's on the back of a wine tasting menu from River City Cellars - 9/3/99

Simon d'Oro

When Annie arrived here in 2003, she was starving, basically feral, and would not eat anything but raw chicken wings. I started reading everything I could find on canine nutrition, and kept trying foods on her to see what worked. About 4 months later, my sweet old cat Spike was diagnosed with kidney failure, and I researched feline nutrition looking for ways to keep him healthy. Through trial and error, I was able to keep Spike happy and healthy for another 1.5 years, using this basic recipe: