Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland has the most boring dog run I've ever seen in the Bay Area, but the surrounding forest area? Amazing. Just the kind of natural boost I needed to plug through some more work on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Bowdu obviously enjoyed it too. He got to bring home a lovely eucalyptus perfume on his back. I'm so glad he didn't scent roll in bird shit or dead squirrel.

As a general rule, Shibas aren't supposed to be trusted off-leash. A combination of their independent streak and hyperactive prey drive is supposed to make their recall unreliable, and you're "absolutely NEVER" supposed to let them go, lest you wind up with a lost or car-flattened puppy.

But we live in a rather atypical area, where off-leash dog parks are abundant, and Bowdu is a special Shiba in some ways (just as any pet is a special exception, right?). After all, he never enjoyed going outside, on OR off-leash while we were living in Taiwan. How I envied other dog owners who were able to walk their dogs with such slack leads, and how I envied even more those dogs that followed obediently, without a leash. It seemed like such a natural and effortless relationship, like other dogs were born understanding how to ignore the constant threat of traffic and crowds, knowing to stay close to their owner. Contrary to the word 'round these parts, I've seen many a Shiba capable of off-leash restraint -- at least, specifically in Taiwan.

So I was a little nervous the first time we let Bowdu off-leash at Cesar E. Chavez, but... it's hard to describe the pure animal joy that exploded from this pup when he realized that for maybe only the second time in his life, he was free to just run, as hard and as fast as he liked (the first time being that day we decided on a whim to let him run around on the salt field in Utah, since it felt like we were surrounded by a great expanse of nothingness). After my initial anxiety wore off, it became apparent that his sense of freedom didn't necessarily mean he would run as far as possible -- or at least, as far as he cared to run was that distance that still kept R. or me within view. Once or twice he's crested a hill and temporarily lost sight of us, but upon rounding a bend we'd catch him frantically looking left and right, only to bound back in our direction for an eager, lolly-tongued reunion once he found us again.

There are a couple other Shiba owners that go to the smaller, fenced-in dog park in town, and we've chatted about this before. I've encouraged them to give the larger parks a go, but I think they're more by-the-book type of Shiba parents, so they're very skeptical about letting their baby run off all by herself. Then again, their dog is also way more socialized than Bowdu, so of course some good comes out of doing everything as you're supposed to. No, we've never put Bowdu through a formal training regimen. He knows sit, down, shake, give me a kiss, and that's about it. His stay lasts about 30 seconds. His recall sucks and if he doesn't feel like coming, he WON'T come (though I do keep a cache of extra savory treats on me anytime we go to the park, periodically slipping him a bite to remind him that it pays to stick close to me). That's just the kind of bastard he is. But somehow, he always knows whom he's with, and returns accordingly. Even when we're in the middle of acres and acres of open space, he needs not make a distinction between freedom and home.

The new East Asian Library is remarkably photogenic, inside and out. The length of the building intensifies the sense of linear perspective, so I feel like the entire building is rushing forth to welcome me when I stand in the open length that bisects each floor. Mostly natural lighting, recessed ceiling lights, wood floors, and textured wall surfaces give it a gallery feel, so refreshing compared to some of the dark and cramped Asian libraries I can recall.

To celebrate its opening and the beginning of spring break, I checked out a copy of one of the books that got me excited about this field to begin with, J.I. Crump's Chinese Theater in the Days of Kublai Khan (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1980).

( No, I was never fixated on the Middle Kingdom proper. )

The lawn hasn't been mowed since we moved in... which is just as well, since daddy never taught his girls how to handle a lawnmower and R.'s been busy with other house projects. Meanwhile, the rainy winter has transformed everything from a crunchy mess of brown straw and weeds into an absolutely verdant yard of... well, grass and weeds. Nature can do her thing for now. Meanwhile, Bowdu is happy to tamp down a little patch of clovers for a cushioned spot in the sunshine, perfect for an afternoon nap. We're observing and learning the cycle of happenings in the garden -- or what will be garden, when I finally find the time and energy (and worm castings) to plot other plants alongside the existing flora. So far, we have some gorgeous pink lily-things that appeared in the fall and a clump of delphinium-like stalks in the back. Several calla lilies that recently bloomed were also a nice surprise.

The lemons that dangle over the fence from one neighbor's side are quite welcome, and we definitely make use of them. My feelings regarding the plums from the other neighbor are more mixed. The trees growing on our side of the fence seems to be an extension of the same plant in their yard, which would lend support to the rumor that plum trees are difficult to get rid of. I'm not wild about the fruit, especially when it's produced in such massive quantities that we could never consume it all, but I have to admit that the flowers are pretty sweet and therefore soften my opinion of this plant. For now, at least.

And then there's these little yellow flowers that have sprung up all around the border of the yard. I'm assuming that they're weedy wildflowers, since they're all over the most unkempt lawns in Berkeley. But hey, Bowdu's happy to relax amongst those dainty yellow blossoms, it's so cute, and it's spring! Let 'em bloom. Why not?

It's March now. I posted in this journal only once during the month of February, shifting my daily activity over to roll_of_28 for the duration of the month. It was fun while it lasted, but I'm ready to come home now.

The writing I do here sounds less and less like what I want it to sound like these days, but I think I just have to get back into the habit. Meanwhile, here's a visual recap of February -- never mind if these images are already familiar to some of you.

Oyasumi.