Lou knows how much Jon enjoys the look and sound of the red-winged blackbird and how disappointed he was not to see any at their recent trip to the arboretum. Jon is philosophical about it in his way, joking that they were probably all at a red-winged blackbird convention in Sausalito or some other distant location. As it was, Jon had some fine photographs of the marsh, the blackbirds preferred habitat, though he was perhaps a bit disappointed that Lou refused to take off her clothes and pretend she was a water nymph rising from the marsh pond.

Maybe it was because I felt I disappointed you as much as those pesky blackbirds, Lou tells Jon the next morning. Maybe that’s why I had the dream I did.