In the bleak mid-winter. It's quite cold and overcast in Calgary today. And forecast to get snowier and even colder. This is Eagle on 19th Street today towards the end of his morning walk (11:30am).

This is Sylvia with the latest addition to her Happytime kennel, Happytime Josie.

Earlier this week, Eagle and I drove down to High River to visit our friends, Sylvia and Glen. Sylvia breeds border terriers of which Eagle is a fine example. He just turned 14 on Xmas Eve and shows little sign of slowing down. For his first eight years, Eagle was one of Sylvia's breeding males. He has sired many champion border terriers who live across western Canada and the northern U.S. Towards the end of his breeding life, he came to live with me in Calgary where he's adapted to city life very well.

My Texas friend sent me a copy of Lynne Truss's book 'Eats Shoots and Leaves' for Christmas. Lynne feels that it's time to begin paying attention to punctuation before things get completely out of hand. She even proposes that we empower ourselves as 'punctuation' police. Here's my first bit of evidence from my very own neighbourhood. What's with that apostrophe at the end of Elle on this sign? Doesn't it look lonely? And how embarrassing for it, stuck out there on its own with nothing to do.

Downtown, Calgary 4pm -15C

Don't let go, Santa! Don't let go!

Winter leaf

My neighbour's fence

When the dog and I were walking along the Bow River late this morning, we came across this interesting bit of grafitti. It's on the west side of the 14th Street on the north side of the river.

Erectus horrificus in downtown Calgary.