The Dogs of Linden Hills
I live in a charming neighborhood called Linden Hills, named after the Linden trees that line the neighborhood. Next door to me is a park named, naturally, Linden Hills Park. The sun room of my house looks over the park where there are many activities every season of the year. Outdoor movies (with popcorn) in the summer, corn roasts in early fall, horse drawn sleigh rides in the winter, a yearly festival in May. Soccer and baseball games, ice hockey, tennis, basketball, playgrounds, and picnics. There are people and families and dogs and bikes from sun up to sun down. I call it a "Norman Rockwell" kind of neighborhood. But something called the coronavirus pandemic brought most of that activity to a halt. All sports and festivals canceled. The park building, tennis courts and playground closed. Sitting in my sun room watching, well, nothing, was sad. Indicative of the times. But then I noticed the dogs. There had always been a lot of dogs walking by. But the number of dogs an...