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.

FRIDAY FUNNIES
Have choice between two loves? Failing to choose may lose both
Why fixate on nationality, religion and ethnicity of some mass killers?
Creative process isn’t pretty, but it provides real joy when it works
Get over it: There’s no media conspiracy against your beliefs
How can you help someone who doesn’t really want to keep living?