So, alas – futebol – after the Brazilian reputation succumbed to their own mindless aggression (vs. Colombia, followed by totally losing their way against Germany), the once-glorious Dutch brought pointless passivity, and perished, fittingly, by the arbitrariness of the penalty shoot-out. Those who recall Brazil’s last great team, in 1970, the team that intimidated everyone, will recall the Dutch team of the next two World Cups, never winners, but kings of the game. Who will we crown this time, on Sunday? It has to be the Germans – and yet there will be one intimidating figure on the field, and he’s not German. It may yet be all to play for
The runaway
A country panic we haven’t experienced for some years: our Siberian, Nua, ran off – her collar with its painful electronic signal that keeps her within our electronic perimeter, grown too loose – and was retrieved by a kindly and effective official. When we heard she was gone we couldn’t imagine how we’d get her back; it’s taken days, in the past, even though she never goes far; fear of returning through the electronic perimeter keeps her leery of us. We got her back, and it seemed miraculous. Luckily she doesn’t seem to have attacked a cat beloning to a neighbor, which was the nightmare of the previous escape. Nua, in a stunned state, sought refuge in a huge box-tree bush guarded by hostas. Its dark interior is her favorite hiding place.
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