The Doggie in the Street

 

As I write, a man is below my window training his dog. This is unusual because we are in the middle of the city of York, and there are people. 

"Sit", "Stay", and "Heel" seem to be on the menu for this evening, and I am mesmerized by their teamwork. Clearly the dog wants to do what his master wants him to do, but there are so many interesting sights and smells to entice the doggy's interest that he can hardly be blamed for his missteps. He doesn't really want to "Stay".

Being in the middle of the city of York stuns me. It has a wall. It is Medieval. It has - and never forget this, readers mine - A CATHEDRAL!.

This last thing is almost so overwhelming that there are not enough words to describe it. I was there with my sister in 1990 when it was freezing cold and the sun went down shortly after 3:00. We didn't really have any money (we never did in those days), so we did everything on a short shoestring. We wanted cups of tea. We knew we had pounds and pence enough for a pot. But the purchase of sandwiches was a step too far.

So, we carried our concealed sandwiches (contraband?) in bags from home to the upper floor of the tea shop, and ordered. It came. We pulled out a sandwich, and at the moment I took a bite - a waitress approached.

"Madam," she said, pointing to a sign. "There can be no food brought onto the premises."

Besides being caught with a mouthful of tuna that was against the rules, I felt miffed at such a silly rule. But the lady was so firm with us that we meekly re-bagged our lunch, and abandoned our tea. We had to! She didn't trust us not to eat the tuna. That lovely pot of tea was a hard thing to leave behind. It lives still on in my mind.

Today in York, it is't freezing cold and we have enough pounds and pence to order and eat a lovely lunch at Betty's Cafe Tea Rooms. But the Cathedral sits just 800 feet from our rooms, and is as distracting as it ever was. Tomorrow we get to attend a service there, followed by a tour that will teach us all about its origins and ministry. I can hardly wait.

As well, our windows are open and through them is the unforgettable music of ABBA being pumped out and down the street. "Dancing Queen" is on now, and I like it very much. The man and his dog have moved along. My husband, daughter, and grandson are heading to bed, in anticipation of the grand things they and I will see and hear, tomorrow. 

Something I feel certain about is the central theme of York Minster. A bit like the obedience of that little doggie in the street below. 

Doing what the Master says.

See you along the Way!

the SconeLady