Lost & Found In the City

The city is a place of motion - constant flux - in every way. Friends come and go, as do jobs, studio apartments, corner pizza joints, express trains, umbrellas (I had an umbrella once that I loved; I must have lost it 3-4 times, and recovered it every time... until this last time, boo hoo). Think spirograph: round and round she goes, there is a strange beauty and order to it.

A couple of lost & found stories:

My car was stolen, right off the street around the corner from the apartment, about three weeks ago. It was broad daylight (based on when I parked and when I realized it was gone). I had just sunk a chunk of money into repairs/maintenance - more than my old beater is actually worth - just a few days before. It was a big old SUCK.

Then, it was found, two weeks later. It was found in Yonkers (or maybe Lost in Yonkers, depending on how you look at it). The only damage was the driver's side lock. There was no evidence of hot-wiring, which is creepy and makes me think it was the auto glass guys down the street, who had my key the day before it was taken. They were so nice and smiley, but now, I give them the stink eye whenever I walk by. It cost me $400 to get it out of the tow yard, and I had to reinstate both registration and insurance... but other than that, so far, it seems to be a full-circle event. What they took: my Kashi cereal (giant Costco size), parking quarters, the owner's manual. What they left: library books, cassette adapter, dog leash, EZ-pass, motor oil, umbrella. Go figure. The day I brought it home, I bought The Club.

Now, on to Brownie. Brownie is a sweet lab/shepherd puppy. She belonged to a family a few doors down, who were recently evicted. They abandoned her when they left. She wandered a few days, hungry and alone, until J., from upstairs, took her in. Between J. and M., another neighbor, they'd been feeding and walking her for two weeks, keeping her in the patio area in back of the building. When I heard about it, I immediately contacted G., who's been thinking about having a dog for a while. I shuttled Brownie over to G. (in my newly-recovered car), and they hit it off. She (Brownie) has got some biting issues - anxiety and defensiveness, we think, from the trauma of abandonment and perhaps mistreatment - but overall, she's a real sweetie. Yay for G. and Brownie, who we hope will live happily ever after. Cesar Millan, look out.

(I don't know why the color is off like this - a blogger problem, I think.)