I forgot to water my pumpkins this morning, thought Pablo, I wonder what the temperature is today?
The zoo is open until dusk, thought Harlan, and the elephant cage is right by the entrance.
I wonder, thought Ditto, if Dustin Pedroia ever played rightfield?
Ditto’s birthday is tomorrow, thought Bonny, I hope the Dustin Pedroia jersey isn’t too small.
The team is really focused today, thought Alex, the championship is as good as won.
As you shift to the left, said Blurtso, the upper hoof extends, lets go, and is replaced by the lower hoof which becomes the upper hoof as you shift to the right… the lower hoof is yin rising to yang… the upper is yang descending into yin… in the same way that all things come and go… cupboard full… cupboard empty… stomach full… stomach empty… see the pumpkin pie… see the empty tin… pumpkin pie… empty tin… pumpkin pie…
As you circle from side to side, said Blurtso, imagine your arms are a banner attached to a flag pole, a banner waving in a warm breeze, a banner on top of a pumpkin pie factory, announcing a pumpkin pie sale…
The sounds are changing, thought Blurtso. People are coming out of their houses and lingering beneath the softening sky. The animals are poking their noses in snowless corners and the tulips will soon be up. Some say one tulip is like another—red, pink, yellow, blue—but I can taste the difference.
It sure is warm in here, said Harlan. It sure is, said Blurtso. That’s because a greenhouse, said Alex, turns solar energy into thermal energy, which in turn creates a convection process. What? said Blurtso. Solar energy, said Alex, passes through the glass and gets absorbed by the ground and plants. The plants convert the sun’s short wave infrared rays into long wave infrared rays—into heat energy—which can’t escape the glass. Because the air is trapped, the warm air near the ground rises and the cool air near the ceiling falls, turning the greenhouse into a convection oven which forces the air to become warmer and warmer with each rise and fall. A convection oven? Said Blurtso. Exactly, said Alex. Does that work on a small scale? said Blurtso. Of course it does, said Alex. So I could bake a pumpkin pie, said Blurtso, in a miniature greenhouse?
Hmm, thought Blurtso, the grass in Pablo’s greenhouse is getting out of control… I’d better do some serious grazing.
This is going to take longer than I thought…
Today is Valentine’s Day… I suppose a lot of couples are celebrating, and a lot of singles are not. Some have been reminded how fortunate they are, and others how unfortunate. And most importantly of all, the stores have sold truckloads of candy.
I wonder if anyone else likes to watch the snow like I do? It’s kind of like watching a movie. Maybe I should make some popcorn to eat while I watch the snow fall…
I wonder if anyone else likes to watch popcorn pop like I do? It’s kind of like watching a movie. Maybe I should make some popcorn to eat while I watch the popcorn pop…
That was the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten, said Blurtso. Yes, said Bonny, the Main Street Café is a fine café.
Hmm…. moon, June, spoon…
hoof, goof, roof… ear, dear, clear…
tail, whale, snail… eye, pie, sky…
pumpkin, rumpkin, sumpkin…