Things Encountered

A Coyote on the Street

I was walking my dog a few weeks ago and – having just crossed the street – looked back to see a young coyote walking in the opposite direction. While it was small enough to not be a threat and probably didn't want to have anything to do with us, my (large) dog is trusting enough she could easily be hurt. I took a bit of a circuitous route back home, avoiding a second encounter.

The Night Market

I went shopping for a cowboy hat (cowgirl hat?) several days ago, and was surprised to find a night market – or rather a “night market,” since the sun wouldn't set for a few hours – in the street outside the shop. After buying a hat, I spent some time exploring the market as it meandered through the streets. It was fairly typical for this sort of pop-up market: stalls selling clothes, jewellery, art objects, plants, food – both cooked and not – and the such.

There was a shop selling pots with coloured glass made to (vaguely) resemble plants. While it is possibly the only kind of ~plant I could keep alive, I couldn't find any that I like the appearance of. There was a stall offering samples of pulled pork cooked in the Mexican seasoning they were selling. It was delicious. I bought a jar. There was a stall from a distillery awarded the best aquavit in Canada two years running, although I can't imagine they have much competition. I don't like aquavit, but I did buy a few canned cocktails. I also bought a beautiful necklace and an elderflower-flavoured drink syrup from a couple of adjacent market stalls.

I had a great time.

"Watch Your Step"

While walking my dog a few days ago, I was surprised to find a short concrete staircase I frequently pass had been torn up. The scattered rubble was left in its place. It gave something of a new meaning to the sign at the bottom reading “Caution: watch your step.” As of the night before last, the rubble had been cleared and framing (?) set up for its replacement.

A Dead Cat

Ereyesternight's walk brought me the (terrible) sight of a dead cat lying disembowelled in the grass. After briefly panicking about my cats, I remembered I had brought them both inside before my walk. I wonder if it was the coyote from a few weeks ago. Yesterday, it was gone.