December 10: I was walking on Bayview Avenue yesterday. It was busier than normal with folks out in a pre-Christmas rush. There’s a point where the sidewalk is narrowed by a permanent display for the neighbourhood green-grocer. The changing displays of flowers, wreaths and fruit and vegetables are always pretty but it does block off half the sidewalk.
At that point I spotted a guy standing smack in the middle of the remaining sidewalk. He was taller than normal and wore an imposing overcoat which made him look a little like a linebacker. He had a standard Poodle on a leash. People were trying to get past him much like water eddies around a rock in mid-stream. This was made more difficult because the Poodle was at the end of the leash near the curb taking a pee. He was on his cell phone, checking e-mail.
The Bayview BIA has decorated the street trees with 
holly, cedar boughs and small solar-powered Christmas lights. Some of these are arranged around the base of the tree where they make a pretty back-drop to the street. At first I thought the dog was peeing on those decorations – which would be bad enough. But no, it was actually peeing on some decorations the store had set out for sale.
And all the while, Mr. Overcoat was saying “Good boy, good boy…” completely oblivious as he checked is e-mail and blocked the sidewalk.