East, west; home's best

A little baking and a little progress on the bulb box of doom constitute as much enterprise as has been displayed around here. Staying in town's wonderful when so many have left. This does seem to be the greatest exodus since that September 11. Even better than staying in town is being peacefully at home without leaving the block. The emphasis goes on "peacefully." All the creeps who spend their time roaring around with cutouts or in the wrong gear seem to be among those who skipped. So far, nobody has blessed us with the racket of power mowers, police helicopters, leaf blowers, or chainsaws. Even those who harbor incessantly yapping dogs seem to have boarded them somewhere. The loudest manmade noises have been those of children and babies, which is exactly as it should be, and delightful to hear.