Portrait of a Lady 4

Early this morning, in this Al Gore of a summer, I was, as usual, cooking up some green eggs and ham on the sidewalk outside my building.

It was hot.

On the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street, a woman in shorts and a tank top was walking her dog. It was a small, malevolent thing, a roll of elastic bands covered with hair.

It stopped, squatted and -- kerplooey! -- had a poop.

When it was finished, dog and owner walked on. Then, about a half-block away, they stopped.

The woman extracted a tissue from her pocket, bent down and wiped the dog's rear end. Then she straightened up and threw the tissue to the ground.

They rounded the corner and disappeared.

I think I'll stop cooking on the sidewalk.