'tis autumn.

Ahhh, the luxuries of a fall Sunday afternoon: a not-too-cold day (though the sun has disappeared behind an overcast sky), a fire in the fire pit outside, tired legs after a 90-minute walk through Ault Park with the boy, Rob with a late-season round of golf under his belt, the Bengals (losing, sadly) on the radio. I made a hearty seasonal salad today: Farro with Roasted Butternut Squash, courtesy of one of my fave food blogs, 101Cookbooks.com. Yum.

because it works, that's why.

Why does The Dog beg?

Because it works, that's why.

I've been more generous than usual with the snacks these past 24 hours, perhaps making up for my absence for the past week (and Rob's currently gone -- hi to Tokyo, B!). But Wrigley's making out like gangbusters.

We took a lengthy walk tonight, and The Boy was full of pep and energy -- he practically ran ahead of me the whole way. I think he must like this cooler weather. He's in great shape. We scored lots of scratches and loves from a poll worker outside Knox Presbyterian (Wrigley voted for all Dog Party candidates).

There's something nice about the sound of dog feet trotting through crunchy leaves on a cool fall night. My new BFF Debbie Millman says that dog feet smell like Fritos. She should know; she has eight of them in her apartment (dog feet, not dogs). I have to agree with her on that one. I like dog feet. Weird, I know.