Merlin’s favorite times of the year are the fall and spring, simply because that’s when windows can be open and he can watch (and smell) the birds and squirrels that he’d like to be outside chasing. Here, he peers intently at the back yard through the open window right next to my desk earlier this week. Merlin is the one who disappeared for a couple of days after an escape through a screen about two years ago. He doesn’t seem to eager to leave the comforts of home behind after that adventure.

A year later, my father’s death looms large, but I have no regrets
Bloomberg: Policing what you eat part of ‘government’s highest duty’
Libertarian freedom vs. conservative tradition leads to culture clash
If you believe petitions truly matter, here’s one we can really get behind
X-ray scanners used by TSA banned in Europe over health concerns
Each loss makes me feel grateful for the irreplaceable ones I love
For rest of my life, I’ll constantly re-interpret mother I didn’t know
No one will really notice except me, but a good friend of mine is dying