The New York Times Cooking app is peddling heresy.

“The clown is kind of creepy.” — Frannie, 10, watching Bozo the Clown clips from the 1960s on WGN-TV

Still unwell from this morning, but we still managed to crank out our first attempt at simple buttermilk biscuits. It may take numerous attempts to perfect, but the first go-round went well. F liked the generous use of butter throughout and atop the biscuits.

Not feeling well, so F and I stayed home from church this morning. We’re going over the Gospel passage that she and the other First Communion kids are reviewing in the run-up to their big day in June.

So, I decided this morning to scope out what kind of poop-scooping apparatus is out on the market these days. We’re a little overwhelmed.

“Do we really want to live in a culture like this? Where no one has the room to grow or change or become a new version of him or herself? I’d like to think that the differences between me in 2019 and me in 2004 is a sign that we all can.”

“Whether Democratic or Republican, liberal or conservative, right, left, center, blue or red — seeing and reinforcing the value of a teacher should be a national pillar that rises high above partisan politics and cheap applause.”

‘Word Jazz’ Creator And Host Ken Nordine Dies (WBEZ)

”In a 2000 interview with Nordine, WBEZ’s Steve Edwards described the show as a ‘delicious buffet of sound portraits, mind-altering moodscapes and irregular riffs.’”

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Reading: Westminster Dog Show: King Continues Reign of Terriers (N.Y. Times; huge H/T to @macgenie)

My colleagues were often kind enough to give me dog show stories to edit in my newspaper days. I would have killed to come up with a headline like that.

Because poor Winslow needs some love with the puppy overwhelming the household lately, here’s a Bichon/Shih tzu selfie.

May be the best thing I’ve seen on social media all day, from @chrchcurmudgeon on Twitter.

Ice thief.

A bit of a splurge today. These appear to live up to the hype, though I suspect I will need to use a white pearl eraser when I use them for better mistake cleanup. Still happy to finally get them.

Very rough Sunday involving the puppy and the kid. Unable to catch up on work as I had planned. Snuck into the office to catch up. I have never relished office time as much as I do now. #PeaceAndQuiet

Stuff we’ve caught the new dog trying to eat this weekend:

  • Orange crayon
  • Plastic toy part
  • Pipe cleaner
  • Newspaper comics section
  • Used table napkin
  • Store receipt
  • Sofa cushion
  • Driveway ice chunk
  • Wood chip
  • Rock
  • Stray branch from last year’s Christmas tree

Sunday reading. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 12 for both Chicago teams. Thank God.

Reading: Why I’m obsessed with reading books about writing in notebooks (Washington Post)

”In an increasingly algorithmic world, these systems let us crack open the black boxes of our lives … helping us figure out what matters to us along the way.”

Winslow continues to hide behind the sheer living room curtain away from the puppy, haunting us all with a look that clearly says, “Damn you all to hell, you disloyal bastards.”

Singing a song about taking a dump to the tune of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony does not appear to help a puppy’s potty-training process.

“What’s that in your mouth?”
“What are you eating? Don’t eat that!”
“Leave the cat alone!”
“No! That’s not where you pee!”

#ThingsIveYelledAtThePuppy
#ThingsIHaventSaidSinceWeHadABaby
#LongF–ingWeek #INeedADrink

Reading: This typewriter repairman was told computers were king. Twenty years later, he’s still in business (L.A. Times)

“I will say some things to the machine. I think it helps, when I let him know how I feel.”

Baby’s first destroyed charge cord. (Fortunately, it wasn’t plugged in at the time.)

One nice thing about potty training a puppy this time of year: Frozen dog poop is a lot easier to clean up.

Puppies make a lot of noise when they’re getting acclimated. We love our new guy, but those 1- and 2-year-old shelter dogs are looking pretty damn good right now.