ohmidog!

I’m back from California — in the nick of time, in time to be Nick, and not a mimute too soon.

Today, I’m scheduled to be Santa Claus — at Riverside Park in South Baltimore — so I’ve got some big boots to fill, not to mention pants, jacket and cap.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., you can bring your pet to have his or her photo taken with what I hope will be a passable semblance of St. Nick. It’s a mere five bucks, and proceeds from the photos and all else that will be going on — raffles, gift sales, refreshments, etc. — will go to the Franky Fund at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS).

The Franky Fund pays for emergency medical care for animals that come in to the shelter sick or injured — dogs and cats that otherwise would likely be euthanized. (For more information about the event, and another at Federal Hill Park Dec. 6, click the banner ad at the top of this page.)

It wasn’t feeling a lot like Christmas in Los Angeles, what with 80-degree temperatures and all the fires raging.

The sprinkling of grey ash that covered my rental car wasn’t quite the same as a fresh white snowfall. Fortunately, I avoided having to pay extra for that, and I avoided getting towed away at the hotel, where the sign above warned guests not to leave their car in the check-in area.

After ten days on the road — counting a side trip to northern California where I got to meet America’s first cloned dog — I was ready to come home, even with predictions of snow. You might even say I was counting the mimutes.