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.

Why can we sabotage ourselves?
Still relevant six years later: ‘We’re the Government — and You’re Not’
If romantic love is real and true, does it never really fade away?
Liberty-minded people need to distance ourselves from crazy folks
Counting on the status quo? Do you have a plan in case things collapse?
FRIDAY FUNNIES
We forget how to be happy, but children and animals remember
In dysfunctional modern culture, porn defines ‘normal’ for millions