Winding down

The weekend's running down, even for those of us who are outside the usual schedule. Walking down to Fremont to get some distance on an errand run, I went up the dark woodsy path, over Aurora Avenue, past the zoo and through the rose garden. Clumps of families were dragging themselves to and from the zoo, tired, pregnant young women with young-looking male partners, grumpy children in tow. It doesn't take much heat around here to wilt folks. I'm sure there were happier families out and about, but the stream I passed seemed glum, grouchy and quarrelsome.
The Fremont Sunday Market was a gauntlet of crafts booths, garage sale quality junk, and no edible produce whatsoever, with people dragging along and gawking. Down along the Ship Canal, the trail was delightfully empty. I was not a good candidate for any group tours this afternoon.
More news from my young correspondent outside Beirut: They are looking forward to the cease-fire, for what it's worth. "Imagine having a 9/11 every month," she told me. She described the attacks as "particularly heated" over the weekend. She signed off to go watch "The Godfather," which must have seemed rather like a fairy tale considering their daily existence.
The horse head scene may have lost its shock value.