The city officials are human after all

I am actually blogging from my iPhone and thus, will be writing just a snippet.

Do you know how every city has those big white trucks with orange flashing lights attached to the top? They aren't cops, but well, they are something. Something official. The city trucks in Newark generally drive around with one purpose: to make sure that the postage stamp sized lawn in front of our house is not too long. And if it is, well then they are only too happy to give us a warning with an impending fine attached if the warning is not heeded.

I imagine they do other things, but that has been my only experience with them.

Or had been my only experience with them, I should say.

So while my mom and I were walking her dog yesterday, one of those trucks passed by--presumably on their way to inspect the lawns of Hartford. This particular official must inspect some of the seedier neighborhoods because his truck was equipped with a megaphone. I suppose actually getting out of his car to slap that warning on the lawn offender's front door could pose too much of a threat (people with unkempt lawns tend to be very dangerous, you know), so he simply and safely yells at them by megaphone while keeping the windows up and doors locked.

Or something like that.

But as I said, we were minding our business with Strider when we heard this loudly amplified, almost robotic sounding voice rise above the din of traffic to say,

THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL DOG.

In surprise, we turned around just in time to catch the official white truck whiz by and we both started laughing.

Now if only I could keep Strider on my front lawn, maybe then the officials would be so taken by him that they wouldn't notice the length of my grass.