A reader wants us to know something about the Lenin statue in Seattle. I mention it in Impromptus today, and our reader wrote to say that the offending statue stands outside a taco joint and an ice-cream parlor. He says, “The fact that Lenin is in proximity to such institutions — the fruit of American values such as free enterprise — gives me comfort.” A comforting thought, indeed.
And are you ready for something light-light? Okay, this is about as light as it gets. Toward the end of my column, I publish a letter from Ms. Courtney Junkin, who has always been known by her mom as “my little punkin chunkin.” (Why did this come up? Well, I’ve had a couple of notes on the sport, or at least pastime, of “punkin’ chunkin’,” which involves catapulting a pumpkin as far as possible.) A different reader was inspired to tell us,
“Few years back, wife and I got a chocolate lab. Wife named him Duncan, I liked it, cool name. Duncan got a little fat, we called him Chunkin’ Duncan. Duncan was ‘fixed,’ we called him Duncan Nonuts. We’re in the Northeast, overrun with Dunkin’ Donuts — dog’s name’s a hit.”
I liked the laconic quality of that letter. Now back to war, peace, and the imminent ruination of American health care.