Take your dog to work day

Because the cellist had a 15- or 16-hour work day ahead of her, I agreed to drive instead of ride, to limit the amount of time our geriatric terrier would have to wait to go outside. He's on a diuretic medication for congestive heart failure, so he doesn't get really great mileage between stops. For example, he's been getting me out of bed between 1 and 2 a.m. every night and is still barking desperately at 5 a.m. to go again.

Since I was driving anyway, and work has REALLY slacked off, I brought the little dude with me.

When I went for coffee I left him tied out in front of Lydia's Cafe. I thought he might bring in a little cash to help offset the expenses of his upkeep.

Unfortunately, tourist traffic has plummeted, so no one came by. I took as long as I could, filling a couple of cups and paying. Then  we both had to go begin our hours of incarceration.

We waited months for summer to get going and now it's over. August was a little hectic, but it's been years since we had a summer like they were in the 1990s. Last summer was close, but this year we only seemed busy during the few peak periods because the shop can't afford to have a full staff. When it's dead there's not enough income to pay for one person. When it's busy, two or three people have to do their best. Those rushes haven't lasted long. They started late and ended abruptly.

Pretty weekends may bring some activity, particularly when the leaves turn.