Open Wide

SURPRISING SERENADE: As we're making the less-than-one-block trek to Musikgarten this morning, the kids and I heard singing and strumming as soon as we set foot in our alley. When we reached the street, we spied a guy standing out on his balcony on the corner of Armour and 22nd Avenue, singing the blues (the Delta blues, to be specific). It/he actually sounded really good, and it was a great way to start the day.

At their lesson, the kids' chopsticks were replaced by real mallets! They are to practice picking up and holding the mallets properly this week, and if their technique is up to snuff by next Friday, they'll get a real live glockenspiel to use those mallets on.


Amazingly, Guitar Dude was still out there an hour later, when the lesson was over. He'd moved on to Jethro Tull by that point.

SAY "AAH": As "luck" would have it, CJ, Annabelle and I all had dentist appointments today. Mine was a 'getting to know you' session (xrays and such). CJ's was a small filling (which makes me feel horrible). Annabelle's was her First Visit Ever to the dentist, so she was very excited.

The technological contrast in our appointments was SO interesting. My dentist's office is a throwback, not to the Stone Age, but definitely the Atomic Age. All of the xray equipment was big and clunky and covered in simulated woodgrain and gold tone, with HUGE knobs and levers. After getting a full set of xrays there, I can't help but think I'll glow in the dark tonight.

Conversely, at CJ and Annabelle's dentist, everything is ultra digital. When they took her to the xray room, they'd take a picture and an amazingly sharp, huge image would instantly appear on the flat screen in the room. I was marveling over it to the point that I apologized to the hygienist. I told her I knew it must sound like I haven't been to a dentist in 40 years, but I just couldn't get over it.

Other amazing innovations in dentistry? The mild abrasive they used to clean Annabelle's teeth was cookie dough flavor. That's right. COOKIE DOUGH. And the fluoride treatment? No big trays you have to sit and stew in for 20 minutes, trying not to gag. Instead, it was a gel that took seconds to paint on her teeth. Aftercare instructions: You can drink and eat right away, just don't brush your teeth tonight. (How often are you going to hear a dentist say that?) Incredible.

Once we got home tonight, Annabelle asked Christian, "May I demonstrate how I felt when the dentist was moving the chair?" She then laid out on the mini trampoline and made pneumatic chair sounds. :)

BREATH OF FRESH AIR: After the dentist, we drove north a couple of blocks to a park (Madrona Playground) I'd spied earlier. It was a busy, great park with lots of play equipment and sports courts. Based on the couple of dozen families there, it appeared to be a very multicultural neighborhood (which is one of the things I love about living in Seattle).

As we explored, we found some cool, child-sized mosaic seats built into concrete retaining walls (what a great idea!)

UNHAPPY ENDING: First thing I see this morning upon getting onto the Internet was a report from King 5's Web site: "State wildlife and Seattle police are joining forces this morning to try and kill at least two coyotes roaming Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood. Traps have been set and the plan is to euthanize the coyotes, which have been spotted several times in the neighborhood."

Huh what?! Did I miss something? For six weeks this coyote or these coyotes have been living in and around us (and in some cases stalking and alarming us), and suddenly (finally) today someone decides they need to kill 'em?

Don't get me wrong - I don't think the densely populated Magnolia neighborhood is compatible with Canis latrans. What I don't understand is why it took six damn weeks to do something. This coyote (photoed below, taken in our yard a few weeks ago, and killed today) was in our front yard, teeth bared, hair raised and growling more than 5 weeks ago.

In their own defense, agencies who killed the coyote today make the valid point that wild animals that have become "emboldened" around humans can be a threat. Agreed. In the past week, this coyote has started following golfers around the course at the foot of our hill.

My question is, why wasn't the coyote trailed, tranquilized and relocated weeks ago? It's not like it has been ranging all over, unpredictably. Hell, I could have drawn a map with crayon on a napkin of its haunts.

By 5 a.m., on the first day (today) they even tried to capture the coyote, they had it. And then they shot it, because it was the "humane" thing to do. Sigh. Kinda seems to me like the humane thing to do would have been to try to capture it when it first appeared in our neighborhood, and relocate it to any number of places in the state.